Movies Spotlight

Imraan and Avantika will get married on Jan 8

2010-11-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

Imran Khan and Avantika Malik

The ceremony will take place in Karjat on January 8. All the informal invites have already been sent out. To coincide with the Diwali festivities on the weekend, informal invitations were extended for Imran’s wedding with Avantika Malik. The actor will tie the knot on January 8 with his fiancÃ©e at their Karjat farmhouse.A close source to the actor revealed, “Though it is exactly two months away, the preparations are in full swing. Those on the guest list were sent SMSes or told on the phone to keep themselves free on January 8 from 5 pm to 5 am. The message stated that a formal invite of the wedding card would follow later.”The source added, “As it was Diwali, it was considered an auspicious occasion to start with the invitations.”

The Malik’s are telling everyone to keep themselves free on the wedding day. They are going to have dusk till dawn bash for their wedding.The nephew of Aamir Khan had his engagement party with a brunch, followed by the ceremony and dinner in the evening. For this occasion he gifted Avantika a Volkswagen Beetle. The engagement invite was in the shape of a metal box, which had a bottle full of sand. The invite was rolled inside the bottle.Imraan has always been very open about his relationship with Avantika. They were amongst the few people who were invited for the opening of Arjun Rampal’s nightclub in Delhi and a toast was raised for them.

Movie Review: Break Ke Baad

2010-11-27T10:27:00.000-08:00

Break KE Baad

Cast: Imran Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sharmila Tagore, Lillete Dubea, Shahana Goswami, Navin Nischol, Yudhistir Urs

Director: Danish Aslam

Bollywood has a sub-genre of romantic-comedies meant for urban, chic teenagers, first pioneered with its full frontal glory by our very own coffee drinking Karan Johar.

These films, and the people that inhabit it, are nothing like you have ever known, or are ever likely to know. But the reality inside it is so glossy and Cinderellaesque that everyone aspires for this free floating, un-rooted, but super fun unreality.

"Break Ke Baad" is a fun example of that.

Aaliya (Deepika Padukone) and Abhay (Imran Khan) are childhood sweethearts whose sweet course of sugarcane love encounters the roadblock of youthful ambition. Aaliya, a fiercely independent, risk-taking person decides to go to Australia to pursue her acting ambition, thus breaking the relationship. Both make mistakes, but eventually discover themselves only to realize that it's not that easy to say 'talaq' to a love, that has now matured.

"Break Ke Baad" is the ultimate, teenage, escape, love fantasy of 2010, much like "Jaane Tu…" in 2008 and "Love Aaj Kal" in 2009, in whose magical world, almost everything happens coincidentally and all loose ends are tied up perfectly in the end and all that you see makes sense. But we know that such a mythical, unreality can exist only in Bollywood.

Yet, the film is good in its own sub-genre. The strongest part of the film is a well-baked script; tight, crisp and thankfully contemporary and often rooted dialogues of Renuka Kunzru, which are funny at times, and profound in a cliched way at others.

Yet the film will never make it to the annals of Bollywood greats. Neither does it have the cuteness of Aamir Khan's launch vehicle "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak", or the undertone of class struggle depicted with extreme melodrama in "Maine Pyaar Kiya", the overtone of struggle against tradition of "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" or the excessive sugar-pulp and totally nonexistent reality of "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (KKHH) - a film which this one pays hearty tributes to.

The conflict is mostly in the minds of the protagonist, and not real. Ironically its fault would perhaps be that it is not unreal enough like KKHH.

Though the characterizations, at least in the beginning and in a few side characters, has the smell (or stench if you consider the escapist drama) of reality, it flies off to KKHH land. At least the old films were caricatures, exaggerations of people you would have encountered somewhere. No such luck with "Break Ke Baad".

But it is fodder for teen fantasy, seeped in the dual confusion of maturing while finding true love. It's over two hour ride is fun, full time-pass and paisa vasool.

Movie Preview: Tees Maar Khan

2010-11-27T10:22:00.000-08:00

Cast : Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif

Director: Farah Khan

We are all aware of how entertaining a Farah Khan film can be, and though there is no Shah Rukh Khan this time on, we are sure that the Akshay Kumar – Katrina Kaif jodi will be more than enough to draw audiences to cinema theaters. And of course with a splash of Salman Khan, Tees Maar Khan already looks like a blockbuster in the making.

The story of Tees Maar Khan revolves around the life of a gangster and conman who is shameless and ruthless while he goes along cheating, conning and stealing.

This conman, Tees Maar Khan, played by Akshay Kumar, is helped in his activities by associates Dollar, Soda and Burger and girlfriend Anya, played by Katrina Kaif.

The capability of Tees Maar Khan is tested when he is assigned to steal antiques worth 500 crores from a moving train. Will Tees Maar Khan be successful in the ultimate heist which also involves a Bollywood actor? The audience will have to wait for two months while Farah Khan and her cast get ready for the promotion work.

With music by Vishal and Shekhar, Tees Maar Khan is set for a December release.

Movie Review: Guzaarish

2010-11-24T04:06:00.000-08:00

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Monikangana Dutta, Suhel Seth

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Rating: ****

Breathe a sigh of relief. During a year when cacophonic crassness masquerading as comic entertainment has been sanctioned by critics and the masses, "Guzaarish" comes along to remind us that excellence is alive in our cinema.

Ironically this wonderful work of art, nuanced and magical in its portrayal of an unstoppable spirit's quest to juice life to its fullest, is about dying. If the journey towards death in art can be so mystically explored, then let's embrace mortality as a stepping stone to immortality and a film about dying as a sign of cinema not dying on us. Not yet.

Only those who suffer the numbing pain of isolation would know what it feels like. Dilip Kumar in "Devdas", Guru Dutt in "Pyasa", Meena Kumari in "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" and Nutan in "Bandini" communicated to the audience the indescribable pain of solitude.

Ethan, as played by Hrithik Roshan in "Guzaarish", is so bemused by adversity that he can actually look at his own suffering with dispassionate humour.

"Guzaarish" is a joyous, rapturous and ecstatic celebration of life. Those familiar with the art of Sanjay Leela Bhansali know how ably and ecstatically he transports his characters into a universe of seamless drama played at an octave where most cinematic symphonies crack up and topple over into high-pitched extravagance.

Not Bhansali's cinema. Played at the highest possible scale, his drama unfolds in wave after wave of rapturous splendour. His characters occupy a space that defies definition and seduces audiences into celebrating a state of sublimity and splendour.

Ethan's inert physicality is alchemized into an ambience of animated joy. His spirit dances and sings at the sheer pleasure of every moment that is given to him to live. He radiates joy. We feel his profound happiness at the gift of life.

No film in living memory has brought out the sheer blessing of being alive with such spirit and glory. While Shah Rukh Khan's "Devdas" in Bhansali's opulent opera was a character broken in spirit, Hrithik's Ethan in "Guzaarish" is irreparably damaged in body. But his spirit soars, his eyes light up like thousands of stars every time Sophie walks in.

That Sophie is played by Aishwarya Rai is a stroke of genius that goes a long way in giving "Guzaarish" its flavour of exceptional elegance.

No other director brings out the quiet grace and the understated beauty of this screen diva's personality with as much intelligence and spontaneity as Bhansali. In "Guzaarish", Aishwarya is far more delicate and nuanced in conveying the unspoken pain of a love that has no tomorrow than she was in "Devdas".

Aishwarya imbues her role with a resplendent grace. Love in "Guzaarish" is expressed with subtle smirks, gentle smiles and hints of a smothered passion that could erupt any time, if only destiny didn't choose to be so mean to the spirited.

The scenes between Ethan and Sophie, the backbone of Ethan's spine-challenged life, radiate an inner beauty and wisdom and underline the director's enormous understanding of the self-negation that a love relationship requires.

"Guzaarish" is Bhansali's most tender and evocative film to date. It layers the pain of a dying body with the passion of an unstoppable spirit as manifested in Hrithik's skilled and effortless performance as a quadriplegic who pledges to make every moment of his limited "sau gram zindagi" pleasurable for himself an those around him.

Barring Amitabh Bachchan in "Black" there has never been a better performance in a Bhansali film than Hrithik's in "Guzaarish".

He grabs Ethan's role and makes the dying character come alive in delightful waves of provocative histrionics.

And if we're talking chemistry between Hrithik and Aishwarya, then let's get one thing clear - this ain't "Dhoom". It's something far deeper and satisfying.

The other performance that catches your attention is Aditya Roy Kapoor's. He is natural and vivacious and in-sync with the film's spirit of celebrating life. Monikangna Dutt is a looker. In her limited space, she lends some appeal to the proceedings.

Suhel Seth, Shernaaz Patel and Rajit Kapur also make a lingering impact in a film that you carry home with you in an inviolable place in your heart.

A word about Bhansali's music score. The songs communicate the rich tapestried emotions of lives that are determined to smile through an extraordinary tragedy. Every piece of music and song in "Guzaarish" echoes the film's incandescent soul.

The film's technical excellence, particularly Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography, is not dazzling and flamboyant in the way it was in "Devdas".

In "Guzaarish", the appeal is far more delicate and subtle. The deep but sober colours on screen reach out to you to enrich your life in ways that cinema was always meant to, until it was waylaid by the hooligans and imposters posing as filmmakers.

"Guzaarish" is the real thing. A big, beautiful, dazzling emotional movie experience. You won't see a better film this year.

What keeps Sonali Bendre sexy at 35?

2010-11-24T03:55:00.001-08:00

The 'Sarfarosh' girl, Sonali Bendre can still give a tough competition to several 20-something actresses if given a chance but the actress has opted to stick to television presently. The gorgeous actress is thirty-five now and is a mother of a five-year-old son but she has maintained her figure and is fit like any other actress running for the top position in Bollywood.

So, what is the secret of her fit body and beautiful appearance at thirty five? The actress gives all the credit to her indoor cycling habit and disciplined lifestyle. She is very strict in her fitness regime and never misses her daily forty five minutes fitness routine. Her trainer Murtuza keeps a close eye on her work out schedule.

Indoor cycling is her favorite work out style to keep her body in shape.

The actress says that one can afford to be lazy and avoid daily fitness regime while at 20s but the same cannot be said at 30s when most of the women become mother. The body won't permit you to go lazy and if you do so then you will have to pay the price, adds Mrs Goldie Behl.

We have seen her judging the television show 'India's Got Talent' in Colors in two seasons alongside Kiran Kher. Apart from the audience, her charm has impressed most of contestants participating in the show and she has been the soul of the show.

We hope to see her soon back on the big screen. Hope the filmmakers are noticing her glowing beauty these days!

Sunny Deol's son joins papa's best friend acting school

2010-11-24T03:52:00.000-08:00

Sunny Deol and Rahul Rawail go back a long way. Way back in 1983 Dharmendra asked Rahul Rawail to launch Sunny Deol in a film that eventually shaped into a blockbuster called Betaab.

Today in the year 2010 Sunny's 19-year old son Karan Deol has enrolled in Rahul Rawail's acting school.

Confirming this Rawail says, “Yes I've just started my acting school. It's the first Indian branch of the world-famous Stella Adler Studio Of Acting.And Sunny's son Karan is my first student.”

Stella Adler's school in New York is named after Marlon Brando's first acting teacher. It's the world's most well-known acting school having trained many Hollywood legends such as Anthony Quinn, Warren Beatty and Candice Bergen.

Says Rahul, “As proud as I am of having got the franchise for the Stella Adler Studio Of Acting I am even prouder that Sunny's son is my first student. I see a sense of continuity there.”

Sameera gifts herself new BMW for b'day

2010-11-24T02:58:00.000-08:00

Speed-loving Sameera Reddy has gifted herself a high-end sports car Speed-loving Sameera Reddy has gifted herself a high-end sports car. Her last vehicle was a Lexus Land Cruiser.

Apparently, Sameera loves driving but she also has a chauffeur for when she isn't in the mood to battle traffic.

But now with the new car, she insists on driving herself, making her driver insecure. He asked Sam's dad whether his job was secure or not.

Sameera says, "Being single has its perks! I love gifting myself stuff on Valentine's Day and on my birthdays.

Since my birthday is coming next month (December 14) I gifted myself the BMW. I wanted a bright blue and dad wanted a sober white so I chose to go with his decision."

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Anniversary gift: Shilpa gets a home in Burj Khalifa

2010-11-24T02:57:00.000-08:00

Shilpa Shetty gets what she wants. Hubby gifts her an apartment in the Burj Khalifa, Dubai for their anniversary

Shilpa Shetty spent her first wedding anniversary yesterday in Dubai with husband Raj Kundra at her new home on the ninetieth floor of the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

Says a source close to the actress, "Shilpa was thrilled when Raj gifted her the luxury apartment. It's his wedding anniversary gift to her.

He gifted her the keys in Mumbai a week ago. She had visited Dubai a few months ago, had loved the building and expressed a wish of staying there.

The couple has taken a three-day break to celebrate their first wedding anniversary there. Raj also has something else planned for Shilpa - a lavish dinner with a few surprises thrown in."

Shetty will design the interior of the apartment while she's there. She then heads to Bangkok to shoot a shampoo ad on November 26.

And to think, SS's trip to Dubai almost never happened! She had an attack of pharyngitis on Saturday morning. She was to fly to Dubai on Sunday but had to postpone her trip by a day.

The source adds, "Shilpa suddenly developed 103-degree temperature on Saturday night and a bad bout of pharyngitis. Though the fever waned by Sunday evening, her voice has gone (sic) completely.

She was in much pain but they didn't want to cancel their trip. Raj and Shilpa finally left yesterday morning."

The Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and IS the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 828 m with 160 floors.

The top of the building features a public observation deck and shop. The world's highest swimming pool is located on the 76th floor. The exterior cladding of reflective glazing is designed to withstand Dubai's extreme summer temperatures. Burj Khalifa is home to 1, 044 luxury apartments, 49 floors of offices and eventually a 160-room Armani-branded hotel.

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Sylvester Stallone to enter Bigg Boss 4?

2010-11-24T02:54:00.000-08:00

You can expect all the unexpected things to happen in Colors' reality show 'Bigg Boss 4'! The first surprise for the house mates in this season was the entry of 'The Great Khali' and then came the drama queen Dolly Bindra, who took the house on fire with her weird activities and fights.

Now, the house is celebrating some peaceful moments after the exit of the loud lady Dolly Bindra.

In the meantime, the house got two days to relax and have fun with former 'Baywatch' star Pamela Anderson, who entertained the housemates with her 'Dhak Dhak' performance. Now, it's time for some action! So, the talk is on to bring the 'Rambo' star Sylvester Stallone as the second international celebrity guest in the Bigg Boss house.

If everything goes well, then we will get to watch Sylvester Stallone inside the Bigg Boss house for few days. So, we can expect another great gym session of Ashmit, Hrishant and Khali with this Rambo star. However, what about the female housemates of Bigg Boss 4? How will they react seeing the macho man?

If Sylvester Stallone enters the show before this week's elimination then he will have to save himself from Pakistani actress Veena Malik, who is ready to go to any extent to seduce even a flop actor like Ashmit Patel! So, if she sees a Hollywood star like Stallone, we can't imagine how will she react and at what extent she will go to impress him!

Sara Khan and other female housemates like Shweta Tiwari and Seema Parihar have control over their hormones and they behave in a rather mature way in such conditions but Veena Malik is sure to show her antics!

I do get slapped by my wife for kissing girls: Emraan

2010-09-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Serial-kisser Emraan Hashmi amazed everyone when he didn't kiss in his last film 'Once upon a Time in Mumbaai' and yet it became one of the biggest hits of his career till date.

But just after a sabbatical from kissing, Emraan is back to what he does the best and in a more grand fashion as he goes international with his kissing this time.

The actor will be seen romancing in the film with a 'Firang' (foreign girl) and simultaneously Neha Sharma the co-star in his next film 'Crook- It's good to be bad'.

However his track in the film with the blond girl has some real intimate scenes which are also very much visible in the promos that have been released so far.

The Kisser boy is back with a bang and after romancing the Indian girls on screen, it seems that Emraan is now taking it a step further by spicing it up on the celluloid with the foreign actresses too.

“I know that it always raises questions when I am kissing on screen but now I am habitual to facing such questions. It is not that I always want to kiss in every film. If it is the requirement of the script I don't mind doing it, otherwise I too get apprehensive about it, ” says Emraan.

“But in Crook, it was the real need of the hour at that point of the story and screenplay, because it is one of the trigger points which take the story further to another level. People will realize that when they watch the film, ” he said.

On being asked how his wife reacts to his on-screen image, as Emraan is a married man, blessed with a seven month old baby boy now, Emraan says: “Well, I do get slapped around by my wife always after she comes out of the first screenings of my films. Obviously I expect her not to understand but she knows that these are my professional decisions which I have to comply with.”

“ I am awaiting my quota of slaps after she watches Crook, ” adds the actor.

Emraan wants these erotic scenes deleted from Crook

2010-09-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Emraan Hashmi is in an argument with his uncle & veteran Film-Maker Mahesh Bhatt over some really steamy scenes with Shella Allen in his upcoming film ‘CROOK-It’s Good to Be Bad’, which releases on 8th of October 2010.

Infact it is the first time ever that the serial kisser Emraan is wanting erotic content to be cut down from his film. The actor has been lately been enjoying a lot of success as his first film outside the Bhatt banner, Once Upon a Time In Mumbai (OUATIM) became a massive hit.

Henceforth, Emraan has become very image conscious as OUATIM didn’t have much intimate scenes either but the film did very well.

So Emraan feels that sensuality in Crook is only required till a certain point and not beyond the limit, and that is what the topic of debate is between Mr. Bhatt and Hashmi.

However Mr. Bhatt is adamant on retain the scenes as they are. It seems that Emraan has had his cake in the film but now it’s becoming difficult for him to digest it!

More Pictures:

Kajol-Ajay blessed with a son

2010-09-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Bollywood star Kajol gave birth to a baby boy Monday morning, seven years after her daughter Nysa was born.

Kajol and Ajay Devgn got married in 1999.

Kajol, who recently featured as a doting mother in Karan Johar's "We Are Family", gave birth to the child at 9.20 a.m at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital, a source close to the couple told.

Bollywood celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra Monday sent congratulatory messages to Kajol and Ajay Devgn through micro-blogging site Twitter on the birth of their son.

Shah Rukh, who is one of Kajol's closest friends in the film industry, posted: "Bringing life on earth is the most beautiful gift of god. Allah bless Ajay and Kajol with happiness and health. Son of a Devgn! Wow."

Kajol gave birth to the baby boy at 9:20 a.m. at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital. The couple tied the knot in 1999 and has a seven-year-old daughter named Nysa.

Riteish Deshmukh, who has shared screen space with Ajay in "Cash" and "Masti", was among the first actors to announce the news on Twitter.

"Congratulations Ajay and Kajol…a baby boy arrives, " he posted.

Following his post, several celebrities began posting their good wishes for the couple and the new born.

"It's amazing when a new life comes into the world. Congrats Ajay and Kajol on the birth of your baby boy, " posted Priyanka Chopra. Divya Dutta too posted the same.

Fashion designer Manish Malhotra, who has worked on the actress' wardrobe for many films, including "Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham", said: "My dearest friend kajol is blessed with a baby boy today".

National award winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar too sent in his wishes, and so did Mallika Sherawat, Bipasha Basu and Arshad Warsi.

"God bless the little rock star that has come into the lives of Ajay and Kajol, love the Devgn family, " posted Arshad.

Farah Khan to launch Katrina's sister Isabel?

2010-08-31T02:53:00.000-07:00

Buzz is that Farah Khan might be launching Katrina's sister Isabel in another project sometime mid-2011.

Even though Kat has been often quoted saying that her younger sister wants to concentrate on studies, the choti behen is attending acting classes in New York.

It is learnt that Kat floated the idea of her sister following her footsteps to Farah, who said 'Why not?'

Courtesy: Mid-Day.co

Music Review: Robot

2010-08-31T02:51:00.000-07:00

Music Director: A.R. Rahman

Singers: Srinivas D, Khatija Rahman, Mohit Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal, Rahman, Suzanne, Kash 'N' Krissy, Pradeep Vijay, Pravin Mani, Rags, Yogi B, Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam, Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer, Javed Ali, Chinmayi, Madhushree, Keerthi Sagathia and Tanvi Madhushree

Rating: **

There are many factors that compel you to have high expectations from the soundtrack of director Shankar's forthcoming film "Robot" - it is one of the most expensive films of the year, it stars Rajnikant and Aishwarya Rai and, most importantly, the music has been composed by Oscar-winning music director A.R. Rahman.

In spite of all these factors, the music of "Robot" doesn't impress that much. It lacks the punch and the wow factor that Rahman's songs are known for.

The album has seven tracks.

The soundtrack of "Robot" begins with "O naye insaan", sung by Rahman's daughter Khatija Rahman and Srinivas D. The slow-paced track is a gloomy one and is sung in a way that it seems a robot is singing it. It's a situational track. Even though it is not such a treat to hear, the song might look good on screen.

Next is a romantic song "Pyaara tera gussa hai", which has something like a scientific language. With Mohit Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal behind the mike, it has some weird lyrics, maybe because the film features a robot.

Then comes "Naina mile". The fast-paced number is sung by Rahman along with Suzzane and Kash 'N' Krissy. It fails to make a mark.

Strong orchestration marks the arrival of "Arima arima". Sung by Hariharan and Sadhana Sargam, the song describes the protagonist of the film. This is also a situational number and and not hummable.

Up next is the song called "Kilimanjaro", a very strange title for a song. Javed Ali and Chinmayi have crooned this peppy track that talks about a girl from the hills. It is better than others but doesn't exude the charm of Rahman's compositions.

Then comes the title track of the film in two versions. One titled "Chitti dance showcase" and the other "Boom boom robo da".

"Chitti..." sung by Pradeep Vijay, Pravin Mani, Rags and Yogi B fluctuates between slow and fast beats, while "Boom Boom..." voiced by Madhushree, Keerthi Sagathia and Tanvi Shah along with Rags and Yogi B is a fast number with a hip hop flavour.

Unfortunately, none of the versions really appeal to the listeners.

On the whole, the music of "Robot" does not appeal. They may suit the script of the sci-film, but the audio is not impressive.

Movie Preview: Crook

2010-08-31T02:49:00.001-07:00

Emraan Hashmi's next release 'Crook It's Good To Be Bad' is going to deal with the serious issue of racism, which had occurred in Australia recently. Mohit Suri of 'Kalyug' fame will be directing the movie.

The director was quoted sharing an experience during one of his visits to Australia. Mohit said that he was once standing outside a 24-hour convenience store, which is situated in the Sunshine district of Melbourne. The most brutal attacks on Indians had taken place in that spot in Australia. Suri said that he was shocked to known how they beat up the Indian only because of color and religion.

As a sensible filmmaker, Mohit felt that it was his duty to raise voice on this issue. He informed that while leaving the store, he saw an ad on the window of the store that read, 'Accommodation is available for the Indian students for Gujarati boys only'.

The director said that that particular ad was the starting point of the movie. He realized that the social evils like racism are part of all human heart. But it depends on an individual to decide whether it is good to turn bad in this current scenario or does one need to pay for being good.

'Crook It's Good To Be Bad' stars Emraan Hashmi, Arjan Bajwa of Fashion fame and new face Neha Sharma. In the movie, Emraan plays the guy, who has to decide to turn bad for good.

Movie Review: Hello Darling

2010-08-31T02:47:00.000-07:00

Starring: Javed Jaffrey, Gul Panag, Celina Jaitely, Eesha Koppikar, Divya Dutta and Chunky Pandey

Director: Manish Tiwari

Rating: *1/2

A blatant copy of Hollywood film of the 80s, Nine To Five, Hello Darling is for those who enjoyed comedies like Kya Kool Hain Hum and Apna Sapna Money Money.

Sat (Eesha) comes to Mumbai for a job from Haryana. She joins a fashion house headed by Harddick Vasu (Javed Jaffrey), a lecherous boss who leaves no chance in sexually harassing his employees. Though married to a devoted wife Purvi (Divya Dutta) Vasu is philandering and harassing his female employees.

Also, working in his office are Candy (Celina) as his personal secretary and Manasi (Gul Panag) as a senior manager. They two are fed up of his constant passes. Sat joins Manasi and Candy to teach him a lesson.

Circumstances lead to Manasi accidentally pouring rat kill powder instead of coffee meant for Vasu. Vasu collapses but it is because of his chair falling down. But the three ladies mistook him for dead and the chaos that follows leads them to stealing a wrong dead body from the hospital thinking its Vasu's.

Meanwhile Vasu captures this all on his mobile video camera and blackmails them into spending a week with him at a hill station. The three ladies have no option but to say yes to him but with a condition that he will spend the seven days in Manasi's house instead.

What plan do the three ladies have in store for Vasu and what all it leads to forms the rest of the film.

The film is full of double intender jokes and one-liners that amuse you at times but don't really entertain. While the first half is quiet pacy and hilarious at places, the pace drops considerably after Vasu's visit to Manasi's house.

Nothing much happens in the second half and it simply drags. The climax too is unnecessarily stretched and the entry of Sunny Deol (in a cameo) doesn't add much.

One wonders why his voice appears dubbed by a mimicry artist. The whole section of Chunky Pandey being mistaken as Divya Dutta's hubby and kidnapped by Seema Biswas's hench men is howlarious at first but then gets repetitive.

While Javed Jaffrey enacts his part well he doesn't appear lecherous from any angle. He however gets his comic timing perfect. Gul Panag, Eesha and Celina all three have managed to do their job well.

Eesha especially displays a better comic timing than the rest two. Chunky Pandey as Celina's unfortunate boy friend in a desi Elvis avatar is first rate. Divya Dutta is endearing.

Music by Pritam is nothing worth to rave about and the only passable song being the redoux version of yesteryears super hit track Aa Jaane Jaa.

Hello Darling seems to be aimed completely at the front benchers. Watch it if you like corny humour.

Movie Review: Aashayein

2010-08-31T02:45:00.000-07:00

Starring: John Abraham, Sonal Sehgal,

Written & Directed by Nagesh Kukunoor

Rating: *** ½

This is a film about coping with dying. But that’s not what makes it such a special experience. It’s the writer- director’s profound understanding of human nature that furnishes the simple story with a lucidity and coherence even when the protagonist’s mind is so numbed by physical pain he can barely think straight.

Aashayein is structured as a journey from a bright delusory light into a place where the radiance comes from a consciousness of why mortality is not to be feared.

In John Abraham’s eyes are mapped the entire history of the human heart, its follies and foibles as it struggles to make coherest the indecipherable logistics that define our journey across that bridge which everyone crosses from this world to the next.

As that very fine actress Prateeksha Lonkar (a Kukunoor favourite) says, “The only difference between the healthy and the ill is that the former don’t know when they are dying and the latter do.”

Between that state of blissful oblivion where we all think life is forever (and a day) and that one moment when our delusions come crashing down there resides some very fine cinema. Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand where Rajesh Khanna smiled his way though that wobbly bridge taking us to the next world, is an interesting reference point in Aashayein.

I also thought of the actress Supriya Choudhary shouting into the dispassionate mists in the mountains, “I want to live.”The echoes reverberate all the way to Kukunoor’s heartwarming funny and elegiac exposition on the truth that lies on the other side of that illusory mountain we call life. Kukunoor pays a homage to life per se, and life as we know in the movies about death.

Even in the most poignant places in the art Kukunoor ferrets out some humour.When John’s lovely girlfriend (Sonal Sehgal) hunts him down in his exilic place of the dying John quips, “So you are not going to behave like one of those heroines in films who dumps the dying hero?”

The fantasy element creeps into the hospice (yes, that’s the spotless space that the story inhabits unostentatiously) with the least amount of fuss. There’s a little boy (the bright and expressive Ashwin Chaitale) who weaves mystical tales borrowed from the comicbooks for the desperate and the dying. Here Kukunoor brings in an element of rakish adventure borrowed from the edgy hijinks of Indian Jones.

Who says money can’t buy love? John uses bundles of cash to bring a smile into these doomed lives. When he doubles up with pain in womb-like postures of helplessness we feel his pain.

John in Harrison Ford’s hat and whip cuts a starry figure. He has never been more fetchingly photographed. John’s smile reaches his eyes, makes its way to his heart and then to ours. This film opens new doors in John’s histrionic hospice.It’s a performance that heals and nurtures.

John’s finest moments are reserved for a hot-tempered sharp-tongued 17-year old girl on a wheelchair, played with intuitive warmth by Anaitha Nayar. He guides the relationship between these two unlikely comrades of unwellness with brilliant restrain and candour.She wants him to make love.He does with his eyes using his unshed tears as lyrical lubricant.

Here is a performance that defines the character through immense measures of unspoken anguish. Rajesh Khanna in Anand? Nope. John pitches his performance at a more wry and cynical world where true feelings are often smothered in worldly sprints across a wounded civilization.

This is unarguably Kukunoor’s most sensitive and moving work since Iqbal. We often find little sobs pounding at the base of our stomachs. Not all the characters or situations are fully formed and fructified.

But even the partly-realized truths in Aashayein convey more common sense and uncommon affection for life than the “entertainers” of today’s cinema where laughter is generated through cracks in places very far removed from the heart.

This one takes us straight to the heart.

I want to thank Akshay Kumar: Priyanka Chopra

2010-08-09T22:09:00.001-07:00

Actress Priyanka Chopra says she is venturing into TV as a reality show host at the peak of her Bollywood career as she loves breaking rules. But she is quick to shrug off comparisons with Akshay Kumar saying he is the "original khiladi".

She will be host of "Fear Factor-Khatron Ke Khiladi" season three, which she says will be scarier than its previous editions that saw Akshay play host to 13 women celebrities.

"I want to thank Akshay. He was so wonderful in the last two seasons of 'Khatron Ka Khiladi' that he has already brought the show to one level, I only have to carry it forward. Comparisons would be unfair, " Priyanka told in an interview.

"Akshay is not only the industry's but also India's action hero. He is an original khiladi and I can't be like him; neither will I try following in his footsteps. I will try to make a mark of my own."

Breaking rules excites Priyanka and that's why she chose to venture into television now.

"Television is the biggest medium to reach your audience. There is a set rule that when actors are leaving films, they come to television. It's always exciting to break rules. I'm lucky that I'm in such a stage of my career where I'm doing good films with talented people. At this point, doing something different is quite exciting, " said Priyanka.

Asked why she chose "Fear Factor..." as a television debut, she said: "Actually I'm doing so many films right now that there's no time for television.

When 'Fear Factor' came to me, because it's my favourite show and I love spontaneous things...and the fact that I could grill the boys and be really mean to them, I guess being a part of a show like this was really exciting for me. What made it easier for me was they required only 20 days from me."

"Fear Factor" on the Colors channel will bring together 13 celebrities competing with one another by performing daring stunts and the one who survives through all the tasks is the winner.

"This time the stunts are bigger, a little more scary, a little more gross. Actually they play with your mind at lot...There can be trivial things that scare you. Some fear darkness, some may fear cockroaches, so it's basically playing with your fears, " said Priyanka.

The show was earlier supposed to have cricketers as contestants this season but now they have male celebrities including model-actors Rahul Dev, Milind Soman and Dino Morea, actors Rahul Bose, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Karan Singh, funnyman Cyrus Broacha, filmmaker Abhishek Kapoor and squash champion Ritwik Bhattacharya.

"I think BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) had a commitment with the channel but later what happened I really don't know. But now I have contestants from various fields...so I feel it's much better because you have various people who will talk about many, many things. It's a different mix of people, " said Priyanka.

Asked whom she would choose if she had to select participants among her co-stars, she said: "I would love to see Shah Rukh Khan in this show. If Ranbir (Kapoor) had been a participant it would have been great entertainment."

Priyanka reveals that her mother is scared about her being on the adventure show.

"My father and brother were very excited, but my mom got very scared and she said she would stay with me during the shoot and keep praying for me, " the actress said.

So will we get to see her perform dangerous stunts as well?

"You will see me showing stunts. Quite a few actually...may be not in every episode. See the lucky thing is I'm the host and I can pick my stunts, " she quipped.

"Fear Factor..."' is expected to go on air in September and will be shot in Brazil this month.

Salman Khan is the new 'Octopus Paul' of Bollywood

2010-08-09T22:03:00.000-07:00

Paul the Octopus created a worldwide stir with his accurate predictions for the World Cup matches.

But nearer home it is Salman The Rocktar who is rapidly building up a reputation for accurate prophecies on the Twitter.

Ever since Salman started tweeting he has been regularly recommending one film or another. And the ones that he has so far recommended have all been successes.

It started first with Raajneeti. One of Salman's first tweets was in favour of the film, although he had not seen it. Raajneeti became the first blockbuster of 2010.

Then came Salman's tweets on debutant Punit Malhotra's I Hate Luv Storys. That too jelled with the audience. Lately Salman has been gung-ho about another debutant Abhishek Sharma's Tere Bin Laden, apparently because the producer Pooja Shetty is a pal.

That too has been very well- received.

The aftermath of Salman The Soothsayers's soothing recommendations? Brother Arbaaz Khan is now sure the tweet-magic would work for their home production. Without informing Arbaaz, Salman has already started posting images and comments on Dabangg on the social network.

Laughs Arbaaz, “If Salman's recommendations worked for three films so far, why not for us? We seem to have a resident soothsayer. And I plan to make maximum use of him.”

Arbaaz admits Salman has started his Twitter campaign for Dabangg a little prematurely. “He has been going around taking pictures on the sets and putting them on Twitter. It shows his enthusiasm for the film.

I am happy to have Salman on my side. Dabangg is a very important release for Salman. He has no other release this year. We hope to use his time for him to visit non-metropolitan cities for promotion, since Dabangg is set in a small North Indian town.”

As for his uninterrupted luck on Twitter Arbaaz laughs, ”I think more producers need to have Salman on their side, if the industry is to have more hits.”

Music Review: Dabangg

2010-08-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

Music Directors: Sajid-Wajid and Lalit Pandit

Lyricists: Faiz Anwar, Lalit Pandit and Jalees Sherwani

Singers: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mamta Sharma, Aishwarya, Sonu Niigaam, Shreya Ghoshal, Sukhwinder Singh, Wajid, Master Saleem, Shabaab Sabri and Salman Khan

Rating: ***

Keeping in mind the film that is set in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, composer duo Sajid-Wajid have composed a soundtrack for "Dabangg" that has mass appeal and is entertaining.

The album offers 10 tracks.

The soundtrack of the much-awaited Salman Khan flick opens with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, a favourite of Sajid-Wajid, crooning romantic track "Tere mast mast do nain". The moderately paced track is likeable especially due to the brilliant vocals, and the change in tempo gives an edge to the track. This is a song you would like to hear.

The number has two more versions - one a duet with Shreya Ghoshal and the other a remix.

Then the album takes a turn and brings forward a completely different song "Munni badnaam", composed by Lalit Pandit and sung by Mamta Sharma and Aishwarya. The item number goes well with the character of the film. It is fast-paced and catchy.

This song too has a remixed version attached to it.

Romance again creeps in the soundtrack with Sonu Niigaam and Shreya Ghoshal behind the mike for "Chori kiya re jiya". The song is a soft and melodious love ballad. Even though the composition doesn't offer too much experimentation, the song exudes a pleasing effect.

Next is the title track of the film, which has a faint resemblance to the title track of the film "Omkara". Yet, it is hard-hitting and appeals to the listener. The song crooned by Sukhwinder Singh and composer Wajid himself, describes Salman's character in the film.

Then there is "Humka peena hai", a song soaked in the folk flavour. Vocals by Wajid, Master Saleem and Shabaab Sabri, this dance number is meant for the masses and has dholak as the predominant instrument. This has a remixed version too.

Finally, there is the theme song of the film that is packed with dialogues by Salman.

On the whole, the soundtrack of the film is entertaining and apt for the film.

Movie Preview: Peepli Live

2010-08-09T21:58:00.000-07:00

OMKAR DAS MANIKPURI - NATHA

Omkar Das Manikpuri belongs to the state of Chattisgarh, in Central India. He started his career as a performer in the local form of folk theatre called Nacha.

Performing often in makeshift and open air stages, he honed his skills as a singer, dancer, mimic and a stand-up comic. He then joined Naya Theatre as an actor. With them he has performed in India and abroad such timeless classics as Agra Bazaar, Charandas Chor and Sadak. Peepli Live is his first feature film.

RAGHUBIR YADAV - BUDHIA

Raghubir Yadav is one of India's leading arthouse actors and a highly gifted musician. At the age of 15 he ran away from home and joined the Parsi Theatre Company, Bombay. He later moved to Delhi, where he joined the National School of Drama (NSD).

In his stage career as an actor and singer he has performed in over 70 plays and about 2500 shows. Massey Sahib (1985) was his first feature film for which he won the Fipresci Critic's Award, Venice Film Festival, 1986, and the Best Actor Silver Peacock, IIFI, 1987.

Three films that he has acted in have received Academy Award nominations for Best Foreign Language Film (Salaam Bombay, Lagaan and Water). He was the first actor to be cast in Peepli Live. He has also sung for the film.

MALAIKA SHENOY - NANDITA MALLIK

Malaika is a Mumbai-based model, actor, and voice-over artiste. She has anchored and hosted many programs on Indian television and has appeared in a number of advertisements. She won the Best Actress Abby at the 2003 Indian Advertising Awards for Toshiba.

Her experience as a TV presenter came in very handy for this film where she appears as a star reporter and presenter. She is also a part of the vibrant English theatre movement in Mumbai. She has appeared in two independent feature films before Peepli Live.

Natha a poor farmer from Peepli village in the heart of rural India is about to lose his plot of land due to an unpaid government loan. A quick fix to the problem is the very same government's program that aids the families of indebted farmers who have committed suicide.

As a means of survival Farmer Natha can choose to die!!! His brother is happy to push him towards this unique 'honor' but Natha is reluctant. Local elections are around the corner and what might've been another unnoticed event turns into a 'cause celebré' with everyone wanting a piece of the action.

Political bigwigs, high-ranking bureaucrats, local henchmen and the ever-zealous media descend upon sleepy Peepli to stake their claim. The question on everyone's lips - “Will he or Won't he?” As the mania escalates what will be the fate of Farmer Natha; nobody seems to care how he really feels?

SHALINI VATSA - DHANIYA

Shalini Vatsa holds an M. Phil degree in Political Science from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. As an actor she has worked with various acclaimed Indian theatre directors such as Habib Tanvir, Barry John, B.V. Karanth and has performed all over India and abroad.

She also trained with Barry John for Theater in Education and worked with children across sections of society including those with physical and learning disabilities, and still continues to do so. She is a full time member of Habib Tanvir's Naya Theatre repertory and essays leading roles in plays like Zahreeli Hawa, Charandas Chor and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Peepli Live is her first feature film.

NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI - RAKESH

Nawaz is a graduate from The National School of Drama, New Delhi, India. He did theatre for many years before he started working in films. He has worked with several acclaimed and award winning directors in India. Peepli Live is his first lead role in a film. Hailing from a small town in Northern India, he was able to pitch the character nearly perfectly.

FARUKH JAFFER - AMMA

Farrukh Jaffer has been a radio actor, announcer, and film and television actor in a career that has spanned over 5 decades. She started her career at Lucknow, in Northern India, with radio plays and diversified into broadcasting, writing and compering radio programs.

She has appeared in two feature films before Peepli Live. An Urdu scholar as well as an expert on proverbs, idioms and phrases of rustic speech, Ms. Jaffer proved to be a great asset for Amma's role. She was the final lead actor to be cast for the film and was selected after nearly a hundred auditions in many different cities.

VISHAL O SHARMA - KUMAR DEEPAK

Synopsis

Vishal is a Mumbai-based television and film actor who has appeared in a number of mainstream Hindi films. A self-trained actor, he was born in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and moved to Kota in Rajasthan.

Vishal's gift for improvisation proved very useful for his role of an ambitious and unscrupulous reporter in the film. Kumar Deepak in Peepli Live is his first major role in films.

Natha a poor farmer from Peepli village in the heart of rural India is about to lose his plot of land due to an unpaid government loan.

A quick fix to the problem is the very same government's program that aids the families of indebted farmers who have committed suicide. As a means of survival Farmer Natha can choose to die!!!

His brother is happy to push him towards this unique 'honor' but Natha is reluctant. Local elections are around the corner and what might've been another unnoticed event turns into a 'cause celebré' with everyone wanting a piece of the action.

Political bigwigs, high-ranking bureaucrats, local henchmen and the ever-zealous media descend upon sleepy Peepli to stake their claim. The question on everyone's lips - “Will he or Won't he?” As the mania escalates what will be the fate of Farmer Natha; nobody seems to care how he really feels?

Movie Review: Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai

2010-08-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi,Randeep Hooda, Kangna Ranaut, Prachi Desai; Directed by: Milan Luthria;
Rating: *** ½

It's the way he looks at the camera. Almost as if it doesn't exist. Ajay Devgn as Sultan Mirza is NOT Haji Mastan, please note. He's just this Robin Hood in the 1970s who happened to be a smuggler and who at some point in the taut plot, locks horns with a junior recruit who, please note, is NOT Dawood Ibrahim.

So who, in the name of immoral crime and haphazard policing, are these two men? So stylishly masculine, so sweaty in their realism and so menacing in their demeanour and complete denial of the existent morality they remind you of the anti-social heroes from Sam Peckinpah's Westerns?

"Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai" takes us back to the beginnings of gangsterism in Mumbai. Milan Luthria excels in creating smouldering combustive stress between two mean menacing men… Remember Devgn (who back then was Devgan, just as Mumbai was Bombay when the film under review unfolds) and Saif Ali Khan in Luthria's "Kachche Dhaage" and on a more satirical note, John Abraham and Nana Patekar in "Taxi No 9211".

In "Once Upon A Time…." the conflict between Devgn (who is NOT Haji Mastan) and Emraan Hashmi (who is NOT Dawood) is placed in a far more complex and challenging scenario. The screenplay (Rajat Arora) takes into view the entire gamut of grime in the canvas of crime that cannot be hidden by the surface glamour and glitter.

The vintage cars, the costumes and that attitude of rebellious abandon comes through in the inner and outer styling of the characters. The people in Luthria's panoramic view of Mumbai in the late 1960s and 70s are steeped in a cinematic realism. Neither a part of that period nor a completely true representation of an era gone-bye-bye the characters hover in a no-man's-land populated by fascinating details of past recreated with a tongue-in-cheek broadness of purpose.

There are bouts of suppressed satire in the way the whole era of the genesis of the underworld is represented. For example Emraan Hashmi befriends and sleeps with a woman who looks a lot like a Bollywood actress whom Raj Kapoor had introduced in a film and Dawood had befriended and allegedly impregnated.

Often the characters are an amalgamation of furious folklore and long-forgotten newspaper headlines of the 1970s. Kangna Ranaut plays an actress from the 1970s who gets the hots for the Robin Hood-styled smuggler-hero. Later she is discovered to have a congenital heart disease (a la Madhubala who came two decades before the events of this film are supposed to unfold). But look at the irony! It's her smuggler-hero lover who dies of a wounded heart.

Maybe we shouldn't give away the plot. Because the plot never gives itself away. It never betrays a phoney intent of purpose. The narrative unfolds through the first-person narration of a troubled wounded cop, played with remarkably restrained bravado by Randeep Hooda. Indeed this is the most accomplished performance in the film. He's partly a gallant law enforcer and partly a victim of a system that breeds inequality, corruption and finally, self-destruction.

Hooda is wry, cynical, bitter, anguished and yet able to see the humour of a situation that one can ride only by sublimating its gravity. As for Ajay Devgn, he continues to evolve with every performance. As a gangster from the 1970s Devgan brings on the table a clenched self-mocking immorality. He stands outside the character even while internalizing the performance.

Director Milan Luthria imparts a keen eye for details to the storytelling. Some bits in the second-half get shaky, such as the predicable club songs and the repeated use of overlapping editing patterns to convey the rising tension between the mentor and the protégé turned tormenter. But the director's command over the language of outlawry is unquestionable.

Emran Hashmi as Devgn's uncontrollable protégée gets the look and body language right. His courtship of Prachi Desai to the accompaniment of romantic hits from the 1970s (e.g Raj Kapoor's "Bobby") is engaging.

Understandably, the two ladies are reduced to pursing their lips and wringing their hands as the story progresses. The film's best, most charming and heartwarming moments come in the early stages of the drama between Devgn and Ranaut. Their growing fondness for one another is recorded in scenes and words written by a poet who can see the humour behind mutual attractions.

The real hero of this film is the writing. Rajat Arora's dialogues flow from the storytelling in a smooth flow of poetry and street wisdom. Aseem Mishra's sharply -evocative cinematography gives to this rugged-and-razorsharp look at Mumbai's mythic mating with crime, an urgency that simply can't be ignored.

Movie Review: Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai

2010-08-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai

Movie Review: Aisha

2010-08-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

Aisha

Starring Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Amrita Puri, Ira Dubey, Cyrus Shahukar, Arunoday Singh

Directed by Rajshree Ojha

Rating: ***

The thing about shallow people from the beau monde is that they shouldn’t be played shallowly when brought to the screen.

Sonam Kapoor in a ‘tailor’- made role (where more moolah seems to have been spent on tailoring her chic outfits than on exploring the locations , sound sights scents and , yes, sense of this embarrassing world of excessive self-preening) gets the Jane Austen character right. Quite a leap for the actress.

When she had played the confused lover-girl in Saawariya Sonam had imposed her own natural-born confusions on the character rendering it shaky and disembodied.

In Aisha Sonam is far more in control of her character’s misguided emotional compulsions. The fact that the young actress knows this label-centric designer world of chic shenanigans so well helps Sonam master and contour her character’s art of self-deception in a way the original author of the character would have approved.

Sonam’s world harks back to Jane Austen’s giddy-headed British gentry class where match-making was not idle chatter. It was religion.

When placed in the neo-rich spiced-up politically-charged atmosphere of Delhi Jane Austen’s characters seem to come alive in unexpected spurts of sassy splendour and unbridled joie de vivre. You can’t help laugh at these young often-aimless people’s selfimportance.

Aisha is a 2-hour celebration of pre-nuptial rituals. Though no one says it, every girl in the picture wants only one thing. And it isn’t necessarily love, but somewhere close. The bristle and bustle of Delhi come alive through the slender intellectual faculties of the protagonists.

Let’s not forget Jane Austen had applied great intellectual strength to her frail and shallow people.

Aisha converts Austen’s world into a frail feisty frolicsome fashion fiesta shot with an empowering affection for the natural light that bathes these somewhat affected people.

The cinematography by Diego Rodriguez and specially the songs and background music by Amit Trivedi create a multi-hued skyline in this saga of sophomore socialites, their loves, lovers and love tattle.

Debutant director Rajshree Ojha gets into this world of titillating trivia and designer dreams with a wink and smile that go a long way in building a showcase around these metropolitan mannequins on a singleminded match-making prowl.

The casting is as dead-on as it can get. While the guys Abhay Deol, Cyrus Sahukar and Arunoday Singh play the Brain, Nerd and Hunk with absolute relish it’s the girls who keep you chuckling and tch-tch-ing.

Neha Dubey and debutant Amrita Puri put in pitch-perfect performances as sahelis bullied into alliances that seem manipulated on earth rather than arranged in heaven. They have a bright future ahead, single or not.

But the film belongs to Sonam Kapoor, make no mistake of that. She makes the best of a rather rare opportunity for an Indian leading lady to be a part of Bollywood film that salutes Victorian mores and Delhi’s elitist affectations in one clean cool sweep.

Engaging and endearing Aisha makes you wonder if there’s anything more important in the world than finding the right match.

Maybe finding the right movie about finding the right match?

Kangana Ranaut: Boob job or normal weight gain

2010-06-13T01:44:00.001-07:00

Kangana Ranaut: Boob job or normal weight gain

People change, they say, and actor Kangana Ranaut is a prime example. After dropping to a size zero, the lady is this time in the news for putting on weight in a rather prominent place. Check out how Kangana has changed over the years:

When she first appeared in Gangster, we knew her as the scrawny girl with the funky hair and the pencil thin eyebrows. She was even compared to yesteryear actress, Zarina Wahab. Little did we know that the girl- next-door would turn into a sexy siren.

The girl got her curls, a brand new fashionable wardrobe and a new identity for her film Fashion. She even dropped a few kilos to make a big impact.

We loved her for her hair, because it was so different from the other actors in the industry. But before we could congratulate her for her curly locks, she had them straightened for Woh Lamhe to look like Parveen Babi.

Then the curls became softer and the pout more pronounced. Kangana refuted rumours of a lip job by blaming it on prawns. Well the allergy's gone on too long.

Kangana was last spotted at an awards function with a fuller bust. But before the reporters could cry boob job, she put it down to normal weight gain

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

Ameesha is telling everyone that she is only 21

2010-06-13T01:42:00.001-07:00

Ameesha Patel celebrated her birthday on June 9. The actress has been telling everyone within earshot distance that she is only 21.

Thank goodness for small mercies she could have said sweet 16. But just to jog her memory her debut film Kaho Naa... Pyar Hai released a decade ago, in 2000 to be precise.

And she certainly didn't look 11 years old in the movie. B-Town actresses are infamous for keeping their age a closely guarded secret. But Ameesha takes the rotten cake.

Courtesy: Mid-Day.com

John's Football fanaticism surfaces on World Cup eve

2010-06-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

The whole of Bollywood knows there is no bigger football fan in Bollywood than John. In fact John is so passionate about football that he has joined hands with national footballer Baichung Bhutia to promote the game.

If there's any doubt about John's involvement with football here's further and unquestionable evidence. In the last few weeks John whose Bandra residence has been under renovation for nearly a year now, put all construction work in the family house on hold to focus on …building a home theatre!

John wanted it ready in time for the Football World Cup matches that begin on Friday.

After much nervousness tension and anxiety John's dream home-theatre is ready on time.

Says John, “I wanted the home theatre to be ready this week only so that me and my dear ones could watch the World Cup matches. We focused entirely on that aspect of the renovation work and I drove the workers crazy with my constant instructions. You see, it was very simple. I needed my home theatre to watch the World Cup. As simple as that.”

Apparently Bipasha, who is also a football fan (though admittedly not a fanatic like John) was driven up the wall while Dear John got his dream theatre in place.

Laughs John, “I wouldn't call it my dream theatre because there's nothing dreamy about it.It's all very very functional. Since the home theatre is on the terrace I am petrified about water seeping into the home-theatre equipment during the rains. So the equipment is very very basic.We're a very basic middleclass family.”

Then perking up he says, “But guess what? My family and friends are going to have great fun. From Friday onwards we will have loads and loads of food in the house and we are going be huddled together in my home thetare to freak out on the World Cup matches.”

The rest of the renovation work in John Abraham's can now be resumed.

Explains John, “The matches start late evening. So the construction workers can leave. And then we all settle down for the matches.”

And then comes John's parting shot. “Do you know there's a national-level American footballer named John Abraham?'

Aishwarya pays Abhishek a Surprise Visit

2010-06-13T01:36:00.000-07:00

Normally the Bachchans have a very rigid rule about not mixing business with pleasure. But on Thursday morning when Aishwarya Rai Bachchan landed in Mumbai from Paris she broke the golden rule when she dropped in unannounced to meet Abhishek at the Reliance Web World where he was doing out-of-town press interviews.

Says a source, “Lately Abhishek and Aishwarya have had very little time to spend together. After their short anniversary holiday, Abhishek got busy with the shooting of Abhinay Deo's Game in Greece while Aishwarya returned to India for a stint of Robot. She was then in Paris to honour Brazilian tennis champ Gustavo Kuerten for his work with disadvantaged children.”

Says a source, “At the charity dinner that followed Aishwarya bonded with Steffi Graf and Mary Pierce and kept missing Abhishek because he was a big fan of both.”

The minute she landed in Mumbai from Paris Aishwarya asked the family driver to take her wherever Abhishek was . A first for her because normally she doesn't intrude when her husband is working. Even when she joins him on long outdoors she never hangs around the sets when he's shooting.

Says a friend of Aishwarya, “This time she made an exception because she was missing Abhishek all the way from Paris to Mumbai. And besides Abhishek was doing promotional work for their film together. She not only met him, she also joined impromptu to talk to their fans on radio in Jaipur and Ahmedabad.”

Says a family friend, “The funny part is, the Bachchans are never together these days. Now that Aishwarya is home the senior Bachchan left for Paris, the city that Aishwarya left yesterday. In fact their flights must have crossed each other.”

Movie Preview: Mittal vs Mittal

2010-03-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

Starring: Rohit Roy, Rituparna Sengupta, Suchitra Krishnamoorthy and Gulshan Grover

Director: Karan Razdan

Rating: **

High flying businessman and casanova Karan Mittal (Rohit Roy) sees Mitali (Rituparna) at a fashion show and flips for her. He strikes a friendship with her. Very aggressive in his approach, he tries to take her to bed in a very short time but Mitali doesn’t allow him to.

She also distances herself from him. But then after a few months time he makes re entry in her life and proposes to her. Though she is not prepared for a marriage with him, she eventually decides to get married on her over enthusiastic mom’s (Reema Lagoo) insistence. Her mom doesn’t want to let go of such a big well known business house. But problems crop up immediately after marriage.

Mitali’s mother in law (Dolly Thakore) is the typical high society types who looks down on Mitali’s middle class up bringing and leaves no chance of insulting her every day. But Karan finds fault in Mitali for the same and gets abusive.

When Mitali resists making love to him, he forces himself on her. From then on marital rape becomes a daily thing by Karan. Finally, Mitali decides to call it quits and leaves his house. Aided by a women’s organization she decides to take him to court for marital rape.

She is helped by lawyer Karuna Maheshwari (Suchitra). But their fight is against one of the most cunning defense lawyer, Salunkhe (Gulshan Grover) who on behalf of his client Karan leaves no opportunity to insult Mitali in the court of law.

Mitali is almost on the verge of losing her case but finally the tables turn on Karan due to the appearance of Karan’s hideous past.

The film may be well intended but it is badly executed by director Karan Razdan. It talks about marital rape but the camera goes voyeuristic during the rape scenes.

Instead of making the audience feel angry about the rape, it tries to titillate. However, it is during the court room scenes when the film becomes more serious and bearable. Some important questions are raised and the subject thereon is tackled well.

Technically the film appears shoddy as production values are very average. Music by Shamir Tandon is a big bore.

Rituparna enacts her part well and brings out her helplessness effectively. Rohit Roy suits the role to the T. He is extremely natural. Gulshan Grover as the cool as cucumber defense lawyer is simply excellent. Suchitra Krishnamoorthy enacts her part well. Dolly Thakore is again a perfect casting.

The makers need to be applauded for bringing on screen a necessary subject. However, the film could have been much better and a recommended watch had it not been for the frivolous execution of the marital rape sequences

Movie Preview: Tina ki Chabi

2010-03-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

The film tells the story of a group of people who find themselves in situations that threaten their survival, and as they try to get out of their respective messes, greed and karma take over, hurling them together into situations that border on the ridiculous in this caper comedy.

It all starts when “Cochin Hanifa” a Bangkok, Thailand based Indian gangster sends his reluctant gangster son – “Junior Hanifa” to collect unpaid dues from various people in Kolkata, India while at the same time, a young woman, Tina our protagonist, gets news of her father Michael’s untimely death while in hiding overseas.

Michael has left Tina an inheritance: 50million rupees, in the form of raw diamonds, in a train station locker in Bangkok.

These two seemingly unrelated events act as catalyst and set in motion a series of events that will ultimately change the lives of all the characters. Of course, Tina is a gambler and also owes money to the Hanifa’s.

Set in Tangra (Kolkata) the only true “China Town” in India, three people, namely – Tina, Basu & Teddy will soon discover that when you owe money to Hanifa, you can run but you cannot hide.

And when ‘Junior’ comes calling, the wily Basu and Teddy, back-stabbing ex-employees of Tina’s father, Michael, know that there is up and that they better have the money or else!

Tony, a small time crook and gangland “informer” par excellence, informs the dos of Tina’s inheritance and both Basu and Teddy realize that the key to all their problems lies with Tina and the KEY to the locker!!

And thus begins the quest for Tina’s key.

An innocent doctor, Jag Prag Singh, a man seeking answers to add meaning to his otherwise empty life, also gets pulled into the rollercoaster ride and in this riotous and hilarious journey, Tina and Prag’s paths collide.

They find themselves working as a team due to circumstances, dodging not only Teddy and Basu but also the ultimate villain Hanifa to get her inheritance. As well as finding answers to their questions on life in general.

And just when it seems that things could not get any worst, ‘Junior’ is accidentally killed and this males events spiral out of everyone’s and anyone’s control, in a cascading series of darkly hilarious encounters.

Movie Review: Hum Tum Aur Ghost

2010-03-30T08:53:00.001-07:00

Starring: Arshad Warsi, Dia Mirza

Directed by Kabir Kaushik

Rating: ** ½

The sheer delight of watching Arshad Warsi play the lead rather the supremely selfassured sidekick gives this otherwise-pale rom-com a cutting edge.

Arshad in his own words plays a guy, who van see dead people. Wish he could see dead plots too.

The screenplay by Arshad Warsi, Soumik Sen and Arshad Ali Syed is a deadweight carried forward not by any inward propulsion, conviction or compulsion but by the producer-leading man’s will to create a slick and cool space for himself within the stifling space allotted to a one-note film about friendly spirits and a disbelieving girlfriend.

The romantic lady Dia Mirza is very adept at expressing energetic exasperation. She is whiny clingy and bossy just like over-protective girlfriends tend to be.

Arshad is very skilled at conveying the killing anxieties of cautious courtship.He reminds one of Saif Ali Khan in Dil Chahta Hai, though we and this baggy film are not even going there.

Warsi is ill- supported by poor writing. His character’s three-layered encounter with ghosts and their pre-burial trauma is at the most, cinematic knick-knack bereft of any subtext or layering.Director Kabir Kaushik was far more successful getting Arshad to play a tough gritty idealistic cop in Saher. Here the bewildered lover-boy with a hotline to the supernatural is just not in his element.

The narrative is so shallow at times that you wonder if there are ghosts of relevances hovering beyond the range of vision. But no. What we see is what we get.

While the plot totters along at a sluggish pace, sporadic moments of humour and warmth creep in willy-nilly. These are too infrequent to sustain our interest.

However the chemistry between Warsi and Mirza is first-rate. They clutch at each other without awkwardness and speak to one another as though the words were not conscious of the camera. Wish this film was just about Hum and Tum. The Ghost could have been left to the Shyamalans and Vikram Bhatts of the cine-world.

Some of the music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is hummably romantic. Ashok Mehta’s cinematography creates a picture-postcard world of over-cute confections. Sadly these are not even true confections, Just artificial chocolates packed into a neat box and gift-wrapped for a unit desperate to do a desi take on the American rom-com.

Arshad gets it right. The rest just don’t get the point.They see dead people.We see a dead film.

Akshay Kumar should get national award

2010-03-30T08:44:00.000-07:00

Veteran actress Dimple Kapadia is certain that her son-in-law, actor Akshay Kumar, who has already been conferred a Padma Shri award, deserves a national award too because she believes that he is a great entertainer.

"I think he (Akshay Kumar) deserves a national award. Nor for any movie as such but he has really grown as an actor and he is excellent in comedy beside that he is an allrounder, and most importantly he is a great entertainer, " she told reporters at a cafe where she came to promote her upcoming film "Tum Milo Toh Sahi" here Monday.

Dimple maintains that getting award is a matter of luck.

"Honestly speaking, awards are just luck. Some give brilliant performances but they never get awarded and someone else gets it. I don't think an award is really important. Someone can perform far brilliant than you but you get the award, so it's not big deal, " she said.

Dimple is sharing screen space with Akshay in director Nikhil Advani's "Patiala House" where he is again playing a role of a Sardar after Anees Bazmee's "Singh is Kinng" (2008).

Long 16 years after "Krantiveer" in 1994, Dimple is paired opposite actor Nana Patekar in Kabir Sadanand's "Tum Milo Toh Sahi" where they play lovers in their 50s.

"It was a fantastic experience again working with Nana Patekar. We share a student-teacher relationship where I am a student. I learnt a lot from him. With every film he has given me something, " said Dimple.

"The climax of the film is completely dedicated to him and Kabir. The way they made me see it and the way they made me do it... it's completely their baby. I just went and did what they wanted me to do. It's great to get such a co-star and that's what Nana is. He gives you a lot, " she added

Releasing Friday, "Tum Milo Toh Sahi" weaves together lives of three couples who connect with one another through a series of touching and funny moments. Dimple essays a Parsi woman running an old Irani cafe in the film.

Cheaper the better for Katrina Kaif

2010-03-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

Katrina Kaif is undergoing a transformation for her role as an item girl in Farah Khan's Tees Maar Khan. She is slowly turning aggressive and loud.

She has made sure her manner turns loud even when it's 5am in the morning. She is also making an effort to look strikingly different in each of the item songs, which Farah and her assistant, Gita, have choreographed.

To get her character's look right, Katrina has been shopping for clothes and accessories herself. She has been visiting small shops that sell cheap stuff to give her character an authentic look. She feels that it's a bit of a challenge to do a complete look but working in Rajneeti has taught her that every accessory brings the character in.

The actress has also been brushing up her knowledge on Bollywood's item girls by going through some of the popular item numbers like Mumtaz's Tik tiki mera dil bole from Humjoli (1970) and Bipasha Basu's Beedi from Omkara (2006).

Akshay Kumar, Katrina's co-star on Tees Maar Khan has been advising her to just go wild when dancing on camera as it will help her character.

I've gone from bikini to a burqa: Minissha Lamba

2010-03-30T08:41:00.001-07:00

I've gone from bikini to a burqa: Minissha Lamba

By Subhash K Jha

When the buzz on Saturday was that Minissha Lamba was very unwell, one just presumed it was exhaustion after all the promotion work that she did for her new film.

But it was worse. The petite actress was down with a violent bout of food poisoning.

Sounding pale and out of sorts but jubilant about the fabulous reviews she got Minissha said, “On Friday Boman Irani and I were in Ahmedabad. I had this chaat. It tasted a little funny. But I didn't want to look fussy. So I ate the whole thing. The next thing I knew I was throwing up repeatedly.”

On Saturday Minissha was too weak to travel to Pune for promotion. But she was happy about the fact that Well Done Abba was getting her glowing reviews.

“For a girl who's come from the outside into the film industry it feels good to have bagged a Shyam Benegal film.I'm proud of girls like Kangna Ranaut who have made it without any help from godfathers.

When I was called by Mr Benegal I walked into his office wearing high heels and a chic summer dress. Mr Benegal said he wanted me to play a semi-rural Hyderabadi girl. I was like, do I look rural or Hyderabadi from any angle, Sir?”

The scene seems like an instant replay of what transpired between Shyam Benegal and his favourite actress Shabana Azmi when 35 years ago she had walked into his office to audition for the rural Hyderabadi girl's role in Ankur carrying pouty supposedly glamorous portfolio pictures.

Laughs Minissha, “Yes there seems to be a karmic connection with Shabana. I've just done a film where I play a Hyderabadi girl like Shabana had done in Ankur.

But before that I did Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd where I actually got to work with THE Shabana Azmi. And now I'm doing a film called—hold your breath—Hum Tum Aur Shabana where I actually get to play a girl called Shabana.”

She's all praise for her co-stars whether it's Abhay Deol or Sammir Dattani.

Chuckles Minissha, “Abhay did a very clever thing when he had to perform the tango with me in Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd. He declared he was an awful dancer at the start.

We soon realized that wasn't true. While I struggled to get the movements right with my two left feet, Abhay was terrific. I've been lucky with my co-stars.

I have had to work with anyone whom I didn't get along with. Sammir Dattani and I've done two films together. Look at how he has come into his own in Well Done Abba.”

Minissha has been cast as the sweet girl nextdoor being wooed by Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade in Sagar (Bheja Fry) Bellary's film Hum Tum Aur Shabana.

Says Minissha, “That is the only film I'm doing right now. I realized while doing Well Done Abba that the pleasure of doing a substantial meaningful role with actors like Boman Irani is unmatchable. I'm here to be an actress. And now I've decided I won't get tempted to sign any old role that comes my way.”

Minissha considers Bachna Ae Haseenon a turning- point in her career. “It put me in a different bracket. When I started my career with Yahan I was raw but I got a kind of break that few newcomers get. Bachna Ae Haseenon put me many steps ahead.”

She admits she has made some mistakes, though wearing a bikini in Sanjay Gadhvi's Kidnap was not one of them. “It was a stage in my growth as an actor. I've gone from bikini to a burqa milieu in Well Done Abba and I think I haven't done too badly for myself.”

She resents the misconstrued controversies that were created in her career. “It was reported that I backed out of a film with Ram Vilas Paswan's son. They made such a hue and cry over it when it wasn't true. I guess one lives and learns.There are filmmakers like Shyam Benegal in the same industry as the proposal makers.”

Pregnant Kajol dances hard for Karan Johar

2010-03-30T08:40:00.001-07:00

She may be pregnant but that hasn't deterred Kajol from working as hard as she does.

While shooting for a song for Siddharth Malhotra's remake of Stepmom, Kajol had to do some energetic dance steps.

She had to be able to do as fine a job as Elvis Presley did in Jailhouse Rock, seeing as that was the song she was shooting for. The filmmakers have bought the rights to the song.

Kajol was a little worried about the dance steps affecting her health. She wasn't too sure about the steps when choreographers Bosco and Ceaser showed them to her during rehearsals. She asked them to tone the steps down considerably.

The steps were changed as per her request but as the shoot went on, she started to enjoy it and as it is one of her favourite songs, she danced along with the rhythm of the song. Finally, she ended up doing something similar to what the choreographers had earlier planned.

The film team was naturally concerned and was very alert throughout. In one portion, she was supposed to dance on a piano.

Though Kajol wasn't worried about it, the unit was very protective. The director even suggested that the sequence could be done away with but Kajol had no qualms doing it.

In the film, Kajol plays Arjun Rampal's ex-wife while Kareena plays his girlfriend. Both Arjun and Kareena were part of the song too.

According to the director, all of the actors have just put in their best into the song and they enjoyed shooting for it. He hopes that the fun they had while shooting is reflected when audiences see the song.

Music Review: Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge

2010-03-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

Singers: Raghubir Yadav, Ajay Jhingran, Rajneesh, Amit Mishra and Sukhwinder Singh

Lyricist: Irshad Kamil

Music Directors: Pritam Chakraborty and Amit Mishra

The soundtrack of "Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?", which stars Ajay Devgn and Konkana Sen Sharma, sounds more like a devotional album with three of the five songs being in praise of the almighty.

The album contains five originals and one remix.

"Aaja aaja" crooned by Raghubir Yadav, Ajay Jhingran and Rajneesh, is an amalgamation of folk influences with western orchestration. The fast-paced number is more of a situational track than something that can be hummed.

The song also has a re-mixed version, which offers nothing great and is average.

Next is the title track of the film, where Amit Mishra steps in as composer and singer. This is the song currently doing the rounds of various TV channels.

Trying to be funny with its lyrics and the way the vocals are presented, the song is a one-time hear. It's an ordinary number with no retention value.

Up next is "Dohay". Sung by Amit Mishra again, it is a soft version of poems and couplets written by well-known poets.

Then there is "Jyoti jalaile", a devotional version of the hit item song "Beedi jalaile" from the film "Omkara". This version too is sung by Sukhwinder Singh. The song is sung in praise of goddess Durga.

Finally, we have another religious offering in the guise of "Sukh Karta", an offering to Lord Ganesh. This one too has Amit Mishra behind the mike.

On the whole, there is nothing much for music buffs in the album. The soundtrack is situational and will not boast of any chartbusters. The songs are very unlike those created by Pritam earlier.

Movie Review: My Name Is Khan

2010-02-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Jimmy Shergill, Zarina Wahab

Director: Karan Johar

Questions of religious and national identity, of the sense of right and wrong, of combating a certain isolation that comes with a behavioural disorder. But what triumphs over all the complexities unfolding in a tumultuous post 9/11 America is Rizwan Khan and his essential goodness that tells you unwaveringly - his name is Khan and he is not a terrorist.

Director Karan Johar is in unfamiliar territory here. No candyfloss romance, no sweet nothings, nobody breaking into song. Just the super intelligent Rizwan, who has Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, his halting voice with his inability to communicate, and his many relationships - with his mother, his brother, and yes, Mandira, and her son Sam.

Move over Rahul, Rizwan is here. Shah Rukh makes the transition from the eternal romantic to the intense Rizwan who finds love and loses it some years later when his Khan identity becomes all important in a tense, suspicious America. You sit through three hours waiting to get a glimpse of Shah Rukh through Rizwan Khan, but it doesn't happen.

If Shah Rukh lives and breathes Rizwan in what is one of his finest roles, Kajol as Mandira, the vivacious single mother, is also good - as always. The chemistry between them if not always crackling, then heartwarming.

It's an unlikely romance, not very easy to portray. But it's dealt with a light touch. There they are sitting on either side of the bed after their wedding with Mandira telling Rizwan, who doesn't like to be hugged, that this is something they can't do without touching. It's a scene that could quite easily have gone wrong, but it doesn't.

All credit to Karan Johar for that.

Like a piece of music that gradually rises to grand crescendo, "My Name Is Khan" begins with Rizwan as a child with his mother - so good to see Zarina Wahab after such a long time - in a tenement in Mumbai and ends with cheers from the US' first African American president in a crowded rally.

It's from his mother that Rizwan learns his first lessons of humanity; as the 1983 Mumbai riots rage outside, she tells the young boy that the world is divided into good people and bad people.

It is this essential humanism that carries Rizwan through from Mumbai to San Francisco where his brother stays, then to the suburb of Banville where he moves in with Mandira and Sam, and even when he is taken to be a terror suspect.

Sam, his "only best friend", is subjected to a vicious race attack because he takes on Rizwan's surname. Mandira hits back, saying that the worst thing she could have done was marry a Khan and Rizwan is out on the roads - unable to articulate his feelings but backpacking his way across the US to meet "president sahib" so he can tell him: "My name is Khan and I am not a terrorist."

It is a road journey through a troubled post 9/11 America towards humanism and the essential goodness of the human spirit.

This is a US where chanting the name of Allah gets you into trouble, where the word terrorist and Khan in conjunction can put you behind bars. Rizwan moves from being a terror suspect to a nationwide hero who exposes a terror mastermind. And then, the man with the mission who travels to Wilhelmina that is literally drowning in a hurricane to supervise a heroic rescue mission.

There's Afghanistan and Iraq, Bush and Obama too.

The US' first African American president is voted in and, in that final feel good moment Rizwan meets him in front of thousands of people and his goodness is validated.

Plenty of great one liners. When he is refused entry into a presidential fundraiser for the poor in Africa that is only for Christians, he leaves behind $500 saying: "This if for those who are not Christians in Africa."

The music by Shankar Ehsaan Loy is superb.

This is not a film without flaws, it is at least 20 minutes too long for one and flags in the pre-interval period, but here is one straight from the heart.

It has a message, in these days of tensions over language and religion, one which needs to be heard. Go watch.

Priyanka's date with SRK on Valentine's Day

2010-02-16T21:38:00.003-08:00

Priyanka Chopra's single status didn't come in the way of her Valentine's Day celebrations at all - she celebrated it by watching "My Name Is Khan".

"Hey guys on my way to see MNIK. My Valentine's Day gift to myself! Yay! Excited, " Priyanka posted on her Twitter page.

The actress is currently in Las Vegas for the shooting of "Anjaana Anjaani", which also features Ranbir Kapoor and Zayed Khan.

Smita was so unhappy doing rain song that she cried

2010-02-16T21:38:00.002-08:00

Pratik and not Abhishek Bachchan will pay the lead in Goldie's film.

Shooting in the Mumbai streets in movies about life in the metropolis has become a way of life for Pratik Babbar. Last month he shot for Raghav Dar's My Friend Pinto on the Mumbai streets. Now during the whole of July Pratik will be on the streets of Mumbai shooting in the pelting rain for a thriller set in the monsoon.

Remember Smita Patil's celebrated song in the rain Aaj rapat jayen with Amitabh Bachchan in Namak Halal?

Apparently Smita was so unhappy doing a rain song that she cried after she came home.

One hopes Pratik likes the rain more. Goldie will shoot the entire film tentatively entitled Copycat in the rains.

Says the director, “It's gritty realistic romantic thriller set on the streets of Mumbai during the rains. We'll be shooting from July through the monsoon.”

Goldie didn't want artificial studio rains for the film. But he did want Pratik for the lead.

Says Goldie, “There's something special about that boy, besides the fact that he looks so much like his mother. He suits the role perfectly.”

A new girl will star opposite Pratik. A short-list of hopefuls has been drawn up and Goldie would take his best-friend and almost-brother Abhishek's help to choose the finalist for the female lead.

At least respect my dad if not me: Shahid Kapoor

2010-02-16T21:38:00.001-08:00

Shahid Kapoor is amused that his father Pankaj Kapoor's directorial debut "Mausam" is being likened to Tom Cruise's "Top Gun" just because he plays an air force officer in the film.

"I am relatively new to the industry but at least respect my dad's credibility as a film personality. 'Mausam', which actually is a working title, has nothing to do with 'Top Gun' except for the fact that Tom Cruise played the role of a naval flight officer while in 'Mausam' I play an air force officer, " Shahid told.

"Other than that, there is no similarity whatsoever since my dad has written an entirely original story and screenplay of the film, " he said.

The young actor says his father's credibility should be kept in mind by those floating rumours that "Mausam" is a remake of "Top Gun".

"My father's career spans more than 25 years and he has been known for his original work even as an actor. This is the reason why he has acted in only 35-odd movies despite getting so much critical acclaim. Do you think that for his own film as a director, he would end up remaking another film, " he said.

"I don't know how someone just picked the Tom Cruise angle just because I play a uniformed officer in my film. On the contrary, 'Mausam' is a love story, " said Shahid.

The leading lady of this 'love story' has not yet been decided, but work is on to get the entire pre-production in place for "Mausam", which will go on floors in April.

"I am glad that I have full two months to prepare for the role. I have a lot of time now to give to the film and since I am not working on anything else in the interim, I have requested dad that he allow me to work on some other departments in the film as well.

"I am quite interested in contributing to 'Mausam' other than just being an actor and I am sure dad would be sympathetic enough to give me an opportunity."

Shahid is not signing up for any other new film. So will it be only one film at a time from now on?

"That's not really the case. Also, it's not that just because it is dad's film, I am giving it any extra attention. 'Mausam' is the kind of film that an actor should be doing in a single stretch without working on anything else.

"The script is such that as an actor, I have to dedicate all my time and presence to it. It's more to do with the subject and the character than anything else and you'll see it for yourself once the film releases, " he said.

Shahid would next be seen in Ahmed Khan's "Paathshaala", which releases in April, "Milenge Milenge" with Kareena Kapoor in the same month and Parmeet Sethi's directorial debut for Yash Raj Films in June.

I want to say sorry to Shah Rukh and Karan Johar

2010-02-16T21:37:00.001-08:00

The prolific Priyadarshan's reputation after his television appearance calling the conflict between the Shiv Sena and Shah Rukh Khan a publicity stunt, has put him in the 'block' list of many important cellphones in Mumbai.

Predictably Priyan pleads innocence. “I was quoted out of context. I'd never speak like that about Shah Rukh Khan and Karan Johar. They've both been very nice to me. If I've hurt either of them I apologize to them publicly, and would like to add that in any conflict between filmmakers and politicians I'd naturally and inevitably support my own fraternity.”

Priyadarshan wanted to call his new film with Ajay Devgan, Bipasha Basu and Akshay Khanna Ishaq. In fact he had all but finalized the title when to his horror Priyan found out that a film entitled Ishqiya is already out.

“Vishal Bhardwaj beat me to it!” laughs Priyan. “He took the title Ishqiya. And once that was out there was no point in calling my film Ishaq. So we've named it Garam Hawa after M S Sathyu's classic.”

Priyan hopes to live up to the title of Sathyu's film. “I'm not such a bad filmmaker, you know. If I'm the director of De Dana Dan I also made Kancheevaram.”

Aishwarya is much better now and it's all due to TLC

2010-02-16T21:36:00.002-08:00

Aishwarya Rai, who was down with high fever and a sore throat for past four days, is now recuperating well, informs her father-in-law, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan.

"Many have inquired after Aishwarya's health. Thank you. She repairs well and even though there are some remnants of the ailment persisting, she has decidedly improved in her condition, " Amitabh posted on his blog.

"We have all been with her and by her side. Abhishek has come away from his shootings and I have come away from my incessant TV interviews on 'Teen Patti', " he added.

Aishwarya was unable to talk or swallow food due to her condition, Amitabh had earlier informed.

Abhishek, who came down to be with her from his shoot for "Crooked", says that his wife is now improving.

"Aishwarya is much better. I'd like to think it's all the TLC (tender loving care), " he posted on his Twitter page. "But think it's got more to do with all your wishes and concern. And of course...Of course antibiotics lend slight support. But why let medication take all the credit when we can share it?"

The actress was shooting for Vipul Shah's "Action Replay" in Manori in northern Mumbai when she returned home with high fever.

Kat denies sex tape rumours, finds solace in diamonds

2010-02-16T21:36:00.001-08:00

Katrina Kaif, these days is busy with the promotion of her forthcoming film 'Raajneeti' in which she will be seen in a de- glam look.

Now the news is that this sexy actress also has her best friend accompanying her where ever she goes. And well her best friend is none other than- Diamonds!

A friend of Katrina said, “Katrina feels that diamonds are a symbol of security that you can pass on to the next generation. And that is why they are so special to every woman. She firmly believes that diamonds are a women's best friend.”

Apart from promoting her latest film, Katrina is also busy clarifying about the sex tape, allegedly of her younger sister Isabel Kaif. Katrina appealed to everyone that they shouldn't believe in such fraudulent claims.

Well we can understand the concerns of sis Katrina toward Isabel, who by the way is making headlines for all the wrong reason even before entering B-town.

Hrithik-Sussanne tweet love

2010-02-16T21:34:00.000-08:00

Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan and his wife Sussanne are a reclusive couple, but the duo has been quite vocal about their feelings for each other on social networking site Twitter.

"Friends, please welcome my wife, my friend, my lover, the coolest, the purest, the exotic Sussanne to Twitterland! Give love tweeple," Hrithik posted on his Twitter page.

Sussanne, on the other hand, appreciated her husband's dedication to his work.

"So inspired when I see my Hrithik working.. (he) has the eye of the tiger.. no stopping till he gets it perfect and only because he loves you (the public) all too much," posted Sussanne, who is daughter of yesteryear actor Sanjay Khan.

Hrithik was probably left embarrassed by his wife's shower of compliments and replied - "Stop it Sussanne, stop complimenting me in twublic! But thanks, felt good".

The couple got married in 2000 after dating each other for long. They have two sons, Hrehaan, four and Hridhaan, two.

Music Review: Teen Patti

2010-02-10T01:46:00.000-08:00

Singers: Sunidhi Chauhan, Naresh Kamat, Salim Merchant, Sonia Saigal, Abhijit Vaghani, Anushka Manchanda and Joe Alvares

Lyricist: Irfan Siddique, Asif Ali Beg and Ajinkya Iyer

Music Director: Salim Merchant-Sulaiman Merchant

Rating: ***

Composer duo Salim and Sulaiman Merchant have crafted an apt soundtrack for director Leena Yadav's suspense thriller "Teen Patti" starring Amitabh Bachchan and Hollywood veteran Ben Kingsley.

It has six originals and two remixes and the music comes across as edgy, dark and truly international.

The album starts with "Life is a game" that is presented in two versions - English and Hindi. The English version is crooned by Sonia Saigal that is interspersed with dialogues in Amitabh's baritone voice.

The Hindi song has another addition in the guise of Anushka Manchanda. It has a dramatic element that makes it sound truly international. It is chic and stylish.

Next in line is "Summertime" by Joe Alvares. The lyrics are in English and Alvares impresses with his range.

Then there is "Neeyat kharab hai", a slow song that flows at its own leisure pace. It is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, who has done a commendable job by modulating her voice to create a sense of mystery and thrill. The video of the song is currently on air and it is at its seductive best.

The song also has a remix version, which is equally good with elements of electronica. The version has a few lines by Amitabh and also entails portions of rap. It is quite catchy and will set everyone grooving.

Up next is the title track "Teen patti ke gulam" with composer Salim Merchant behind the mike. The upbeat song revolving around gambling is fast paced with psychedelic beats. However, it is average.

The re-mixed version of the track has more beats attached to it.

Finally, the soundtrack offers "Intezar me chupa kahin" in the voice of Naresh Kamat. The song starts off slowly but picks up pace and culminates into a rock anthem. Strong orchestration makes the song impactful.

On the whole, the album is meant for a niche audience and is truly international in its approach. Salim and Sulaiman have given music that perfectly gels with the theme of the film.

Movie Review: Karthik Calling Karthik

2010-02-10T01:45:00.000-08:00

Produced by : Ritesh Sidhwani & Farhan Akhtar

Writtern & Directed by : Vijay Lalwani

Meet Karthik: an introvert by nature and shy by choice. Karthik suffers with huge confidence issues and is miserable at his just average job that yields less than average results.

His boss treats him like dirt. Shonali, his colleague who he secretly loves doesn’t even know he exists. Karthik is a loser, knows it, and accepts it.

Karthik believes his life cant get any worse and then suddenly one night, it happens; The phone rings. And Karthik speaks to someone he never though he would - He speaks to a man who also claims to be Karthik. The man on the phone says that he is here to change Karthik’s life.

Karthik accepts the phone in his life and soon it becomes his guide, his mentor, friend and guardian. And most importantly it becomes the ticket to the love of his life, Shonali and Karthik’s life changes in ways that he hadn’t imagined.

Movie Review: The Hangman

2010-02-10T01:44:00.000-08:00

Starring Om Puri, Shreyas Talpade, Gulshan Grover, Amrita Bedi

Directed by Vishal Bhandari

Rating: ** ½

A long-delayed film but one that comes with its own baggage of silent merit, The Hangman hinges on a rather heart-wrenching irony. A noble hangman Shiva (Om Puri) must finally execute the son on whom hinges his whole hope of the future.

Tragically the execution of this executioner’s tale suffers from an excruciating linguistic anomaly. For some strange and inexplicable reason the characters located in a Maharashtrian village speak in English. Their clipped self-conscious accent jars and reduces the impact of the powerful drama by alienating the characters from the words that come out of their mouth.

Om Puri playing a character apparently inspired by real life is in emotional form as the doting dreaming father of an earnest son who, stereotypically, is spoilt and ruined by the Big Bad City. The opposition of values between rural and city life is done with a simplistic yet sincere flourish.

The story could’ve done with a less pedantic treatment.

The characters are almost parabolic. The hangman Shiva’s wife is named Parvati, and played with a clipped accent and eyebrows to match, by Smita Jaykar and the son, believe it or not, is named Ganesh! There begins the tormenting tandav on migration from the villages and its ruinous aftermath.

There’s a touching core to Shiva’s hopes of getting his son out of the noose into a world of prosperity. This side of the plot needed further nurturing and irrigation. The father-son sequences as played out by Puri and Talpade, convey a wealth of warmth, sadly melted-down by outdated values and narrative devices.

By the time the narration moves clumsily into the city life to show the urban corruption of the poor rustic Ganesh the narration embraces naivete wholesale abandoning any deeper thoughts for a surface-level exploration of the relationship between ambition and guilt. And portraying the city girl (Amrita Bedi) as a toxic influence is the last straw.

In case the director hadn’t noticed the villages have moved and merged into the cities. The city-rural divide is only a mind-set now.

Tackling a concept that is thoroughly outdated The Hangman never proceeds beyond conveying the mood and modality of a serious high-school morality- play performed with touching earnestness.

It’s the sincerity of Om Puri and Shreyas Talpade’s performances that place this film a peg or two above the trite level. If we add Gulshan Grover’s acting as an upright jailor The Hangman is a bearable depiction of a rustic family’s dreams gone to seed.

But Do Bigha Zameen, this is not.

Movie Review: Striker

2010-02-10T01:43:00.000-08:00

Starring: Siddharth, Aditya Pancholi, Padmapriya, Vidya Malvade, Ankur Vikal and Anupam Kher

Director: Chandan Arora

Rating: ***

Its December 1992 and curfew time in Malvani, Mumbai’s north western suburb when Suryakant Sarang aka Surya (Siddharth) arrives back in Mumbai from an out of town trip. Communal riots have broken out in the area mostly dominated by Muslims.

Surya is stopped by the police, headed by local in charge Faroukh (Anupam Kher). But Surya is restless after he comes to know his family members have fallen prey to the riots.

From hereon the narrative alternates between the flash back and current scenario mode.

It narrates the tale of how Surya, a lower middle class boy, the youngest of the three siblings rises to become an ace carrom champion in the carrom betting syndicate headed by spearheaded by Jalil (Pancholi).

Surya and Jalil keep crossing paths as Jalil desperately wants him to play under him. But Surya nurses a childhood grudge against him. Making matters more complicated is Surya’s childhood buddy Zaid (Ankur) who is working under Zaid.

Editor turned director Chandan Arora (Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hun, Main, Meri Patni Aur Who) has always narrated character based tales and this time with through the eyes of an extremely well written central character he has showcased a never before exposed on Indian screen, the betting underbelly.

The carrom game sequences are fantastically shot what with real carrom champs used. Making them more entertaining is the sledging running commentary by the bystanders.

Vijay Maurya and Pankaj Saraswat’s dialogues are sufficiently spicy. The camerawork enhances the edgy mood of the film. Sound design is excellent too.

Songs are not lip synced and don’t act as speed breakers but carry the story forward. In fact even Siddharth has sung a song in the film.

Siddharth is nothing short of excellent in the film. Exhibiting a cute boyish charm he is very real and vulnerable at the same time. His splendid carrom playing skills are in full display in the film.

Aditya Pancholi with amazing screen presence exudes scare whenever he appears on screen. Ankur Vikal is perfectly cast as Siddharth’s druggie best friend.

Vidya Malvade gets few scenes but she manages to leave an impression. Playing a fisherwoman running the local dingy bar, newcomer Padmapriya resembling Tabu is wonderful and is extremely expressive.

Anup Soni, Anupam Kher and Seema Biswas are good as usual. Nicolette as Siddharth’s first crush is good too.

Chandan Arora’s Striker works for the fact that it actually narrates a never seen before story as also for its authentic setting and excellent acting. Do not give it a miss.

Deols' Con act: Sunny to woo a Canadian hottie

2010-02-10T01:41:00.001-08:00

In Samir Karnik's Yamla Pagla Deewana Dharmendra and Bobby Deol play a father-son con-men duo in Varanasi.

Sunny plays an upright man married to a Canadian living in Canada who gets to know after two decades that he has a father and brother in Varanasi. The film is about Sunny's journey into his past and into a culture that he had left behind. Karnik will shoot in Varanasi in April.

The interesting part of the film is the bum-chum relationship between father Dharmendra and son Bobby, when in real life Bobby is intimdated by his father.

Laughs Karnik, “Not so any longer. Thanks to the preparation for my film both Bobby and Sunny have loosened up with their Dad.”

While Bobby is paired with television actress Kulraj Randhawa, the Canadian leading lady for Sunny is yet to be finalized.

The film's shooting starts on Feb 15.

“And we release Yamala Pagla Deewana on December 24, Aamir Khan's slot. This year he won't have any release in the last week of December. So we've decided to release our film in that a slot, ” announces Samir Karnik.

Incidentally Karnik's lucky mascot, little Dwij Yadav who features in all of the director's works so far, won't be part of Yamla Pagla Deewana.

“Let him grow up off camera now. He's my insurance for the future, just like Rakesh Roshan has Hrithik, ” says the director emotionally.

The film's title is obviously inspired by the chartbuster Main jat yamala pagla deewana from Dharmendra's 1975 blockbuster Pratiggya.

Karnik intends to record a remix version of the Mohd Rafi hit. The director introduces a new composing duo Nouman Javed and Rahul Seth, one of whom happens to be from Pakistan.

Says Karnik, “I heard Nouman's music on the internet and asked him to send me his songs on the MP3 format. Then I took another new composer Rahul Seth to Dubai and we recorded the songs in a Nouman's land (Dubai).”

While doing a re-mix of the old hit may be considered a stroke of clever marketing, bringing the father Deol and his two sons together hardly qualifies as a novel strategy.

Says Karnik, “I know Dharamji, Sunny and Bobby have been brought together earlier in Apne. But that was a very emotional drama. Yamala Pagla Deewana is an out- and- out comedy.”

Katrina rescued by the forest department

2010-02-10T01:40:00.000-08:00

Now before you get any ideas let us clarify that the Katrina we are referring to is a 15-day-old rare leopard rescued by the forest authorities in Bhopal.

After having a Barbie named after her, Katrina Kaif now has a beautiful rare leopard named after her as well. Reveals a source, “The leopard is one of its kind.

She's absolutely stunning and there is something very unique about her, hence the locals and forest department decided to name her Katrina.

Katrina Kaif has a huge fan base in the interiors as well” Funnily enough the zoo authorities under whose care the leopard now is wish for Katrina Kaif to adopt the little leopard.

Knowing Katrina's loves for animals who knows she just might!

My Name is Khan fever hits Priyanka Chopra

2010-02-10T01:39:00.000-08:00

Not just Shahrukh Khan-Kajol fans but industrywallas too are awestruck with the mellifluous music of 'My Name Is Khan'. And the latest entrant to the MNIK's music club is none other than the very gorgeous Priyanka Chopra who is eagerly waiting for the film to release.

“I absolutely love the music of 'My Name Is Khan'. I can't wait to see the film, ” says Priyanka Chopra.

Despite the debacle of her recent release Yash Raj Films' 'Pyaar Impossible' Piggy Chops still seems to be in high-spirits and is wishing her colleagues good luck for their forthcoming ventures.

Though judging her excitement it can be safely said that 'My Name Is Khan' seems to be her hot favorite and is on the top priority. Apart from raving about the music she was heard conveying her best wishes through a social website. Here goes Piggy Chops routing for MINK team, “Way to go team MNIK, ” she tweets.

Vidya Balan not apologetic about her lust

2010-02-10T01:38:00.002-08:00

Vidya Balan is fascinated with the poetic wooing style of old-timer Naseeruddin Shah rather than wickedly funny guy Arshad Warsi in Vishal Bhardwaj's protégé Abhishek Chaubey's directorial debut 'Ishqiya'.

Talking about the difference in the approach of both her lovers in the movie, Vidya informs, “Arshad's character is a typical guy for whom love is the way to get sex and Naseer saab's character is more old school.”

She continues, “Krishna is not apologetic about her needs. She gets attracted to Arshad's character and there is a certain culmination to it. With Naseer saab she enjoys that attention. He woos her in a classical way.”

No wonder Vidya falls for Naseeruddin Shah when he woos her with 'Dil toh bachcha hai ji'.

Ask her how she would like to be wooed in real life she admits, “Fortunately or unfortunately I love the Naseer saab kind of romance, someone who woos with beautiful words and poetry. It's old school filmy style.

I don't mind when a man opens a door for me or pulls out the chair for me. That chivalry is there in his character though in a different way because it's a rural setting.”

Why Aunty Malaika is not so happy these day?

2010-02-10T01:38:00.001-08:00

Malaika Arora Khan is in two moods. She is ecstatic because her sister, Amrita Arora, gave birth to a son recently.

Malaika is super-excited at being an aunt and the baby has no doubt brought in cheer into the family.

However, the lovely lady is upset at having lost out as the brand ambassador of a lifestyle product.

She has instead been replaced by former Miss World, Diana Hayden.

Well, all we can say is, Malaika shouldn’t let this get in the way of her family celebrations right now! After all, there will be more products to come, right?

Miss Lovely: Former Miss India in a film on Porn

2010-02-10T01:37:00.001-08:00

A film, ‘Miss Lovely’, has been made on the porn industry of the 1980s.

It has a character based on a real life person, Rajesh Singh, aka Bunty. Bunty was jailed when he was found guilty of being involved in the porn industry.

Nawaz Siddiqui and former Miss India Niharika Singh star in the film.

Nawaz plays a guy called Sonu, who wants to save a girl from the porn industry.

According to him, the film shows how sleazy the industry is and how it works. It even shows how the girls get exploited.

Music Review: Veer

2010-01-15T03:33:00.000-08:00

Music Directors: Sajid-Wajid

Lyricist: Gulzar

Singers: Sukhwinder Singh, Sonu Niigaam, Wajid, Neuman Pinto, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Suzanne D'Mello, Roop Kumar Rathod, Shreya Ghoshal, Rekha Bhardwaj, Sharib Sabri, Toshi Sabri, Shabaab Sabri and Sunidhi Chauhan

Composer brothers Sajid-Wajid have come up with one of their best works in Salman Khan's period drama "Veer". The soundtrack boasts of eight songs and the music is melodious, hummable and is an interesting bouquet of various genres.

It starts with "Taali", a song brilliantly crooned by Sukhwinder Singh, Sonu Niigaam, Wajid and Neuman Pinto. The power- packed track gives the album an edge and a positive start. It is hard-hitting and makes the listener sit up and take notice.

The song also has a solo version by Sukhwinder and it has been sung with a lot of punch.

Up next is a total contrast to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's mushy track "Surili akhiyon wale". It is melodious and extremely pleasing to the ears. It also has English verses by Suzanne D'Mello, something similar to the song "O ri chhori" in "Lagaan". It's surely a likeable number and will make an impact.

It also has an extended version with Sunidhi Chauhan, who sings it in a way unlike her original style.

Then there is "Salaam aaya", currently doing the rounds of television channels. The romantic song, which has Roop Kumar Rathod, Shreya Ghoshal and Suzanne D'Mello behind the mike, is a soft, light and pleasing number. It is worth a hear.

Next in line is Sonu Niigaam's "Meherbaniyaan". It starts with a long prelude and orchestration powers over the vocals. The fast-paced number is average and offers nothing great.

Then we have a very likeable track in "Kanha", a thumri sung by Rekha Bhardwaj with ample support from Shahab, Toshi and Sharib Sabri. This is one of the best tracks in the album. A song of this genre has been incorporated in a film after a long time. A must hear.

Finally, there is an instrumental piece called the "Spirit of Veer".

On the whole, Sajid-Wajid have made an effort to make the album different and they have succeeded in doing so.

Music Review: Rann

2010-01-15T03:28:00.000-08:00

Singers: Abhishek Naiwal, Jojo, Sukhwinder Singh, Kunal Ganjawala, Sanjeev Kohli, Jayesh Gandhi and Vardan Singh

Music Directors: Amar Mohile, Bapi-Tutul, Sanjeev Kohli and Jayesh Gandhi

Lyricists: Prashant Pandey and Sarim Momin

The music of Ram Gopal Varma's latest offering "Rann", which has Amitabh Bachchan in the lead role, is not one that music buffs would like to sit and listen to. All the songs are situational and might look good on screen, but they are not really pleasing to the ears.

The album, composed by five composers, has seven songs.

"Besharam", sung by Abhishek Naiwal, is not hummable, but the music is hard hitting and vocals are full of punches. The song oozes anger. It is an average song but might appeal to people when juxtaposed with visuals.

Next is "Gali gali mein" with Jojo behind the mike. The song is a complete mockery of politicians and the political system in the country. It is a kind of hate anthem with a strong orchestration that gets noisy at times.

Then Sukhwinder Singh comes in with "Kaanch ke jaise", which has a haunting start. There is less orchestration in the song and the focus is on the lyrics. Sukhwinder's high-pitched voice makes an impact and appeals to the listener. This is by far the best song of the album.

Up next is "Mera Bharat Mahaan". Crooned by Kunal Ganjawala, it is a song similar to "Gali gali mein" since this too talks about the problems in our country. It is fast-paced but not so interesting.

Next we have "Rann hai" by Sanjeev Kohli. The tone of the song is repetitive and this too exudes anger on the current state of affairs in the country.

Then there is "Remote ko bahar phek", which can easily be clasified as the worst song of the album.

It tries to portray the psyche of news channels. The fast-paced rap number sung by Jayesh Gandhi might be suitable on screen but as a stand- alone number it is a complete put-off.

Finally there is "Sikkon ki bhook". Sung by Vardan Singh, it starts with a few headlines of news channels. This too is situational and quite similar to the other songs of the album.

Even though Varma has roped in a bevy of composers for the soundtrack, the album doesn't offer anything extraordinary.

Music Review: My Name Is Khan

2010-01-15T03:25:00.000-08:00

Singers: Rashid Khan, Adnan Sami, Shankar Mahadevan, Shreya Ghoshal, Suraj Jagan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Richa Sharma and Shafqat Amanat Ali

Lyricist: Niranjan Iyengar

Music Directors: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonca

The soundtrack of the latest offering of Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan, "My Name Is Khan", boasts of Sufi flavour. Composed by Johar's favourite Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the album has six originals and most of the compositions are soul- stirring.

The album starts with "Sajda". Sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shankar Mahadevan and Richa Sharma, it's a Sufi number that tugs at one's heartstrings. The sounds of tablas and dholaks keep the listener hooked. With great voices behind the mike, "Sajda" is a must hear.

Next is "Noor-e-khuda", an unplugged version sung by Adnan Sami, Shreya Ghoshal and Shankar. It's a soft, pleasing love ballad that instantly strikes a chord. Most part of the song is male- dominated, but it gets an edge when Shreya enters with her honey-tucked voice close to the end of the track.

Shafqat Amanat Ali renders "Tere naina" brilliantly. The subtle orchestration and melody make for an interesting hear. It changes gear mid-way when it slips into the qawwali mode which elevates it further.

Up next is "Allah hi rahem" - again a Sufi number. Crooned by Rashid Ali, it is enchanting. The lyrics are simple yet profound and the song transports you to a completely different world. One of the best songs of the album.

Then there is "Rang de" by Shankar with ample support from Suraj Jagan. The song with influences of rock is nice and refreshing. It talks about peace, triumph and joy.

The album also has a "My Name Is Khan" theme song by Pakistani band Strings. It is an intriguing piece.

On the whole, every song in the album is above average. The composers have stuck to the theme of the film and the soundtrack has the potential to rock the charts.

Music Review: Ishqiya

2010-01-15T03:23:00.000-08:00

Artist: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Sukhwinder Singh, Mika Singh, Rekha Bhardwaj and Clinton Cerejo

Lyricist: Gulzar and Ajinkya Iyer

Music Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

There is a certain quality hallmark which comes in when names like Gulzar and Vishal Bharadwaj are involved. They have come up with at least three landmark albums together in 'Kaminey', 'Omkara' and 'Maachis' where they have created a diverse soundtrack.

This is why when 'Ishqiya' flashes these names on the credit, you start expecting a moon, more so because of the rustic small town setting that the film boasts of.

Thankfully from the very first note that plays for 'Ishqiya', you know that the album is going on a right track. In the past Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has sung number of beautiful songs for Pritam and Sajid-Wajid.

He reinvents himself for Vishal Bharadwaj with 'Dil To Bachcha Hai' which is a soothing melody that is unconventional, boasts of a new tune and also of course carries a romantic appeal to it.

One can sense the music of 50s in this song set in the 2010, which pretty much establishes the timeless flavour that it comes with. One wonders though if there was any need whatsoever for including a 'remix version' of the song.

There are no complaints though when 'Ibn-E-Batuta' arrives in as many as three versions (one original and two remixes). This is the kind of rustic track that one always expects in a Vishal Bharadwaj film and since he is also the co-producer of 'Ishqiya', there are no surprises whatsoever.

A fun track with a deep rooted meaning (about a journey) embedded into it; 'Ibn -E-Batuta' has a catchy tune which gets you hooked on to it in the very first listening. Picturised on the entire principal cast of the film, Naseeruddin Shah, Vidya Balan and Arshad Warsi, 'Ibn-E-Batuta' is the kind of song that can be played in a marriage celebration as well as find a place in a DJ's collection.

The album pretty much follows the Vishal Bharadwaj-Gulzar template with a romantic and a fun song followed by a couple of semi-classical love songs.

Incidentally both are sung by Rekha Bharadwaj, who recently impressed one and all in her rendition for 'Kanha' in Sajid-Wajid's 'Veer'. The songs in question are 'Ab Mujhe Koi' and 'Badi Dheere Jali', both of which have an appeal lasting longer than the film's narrative.

Reason being that they are unlike numerous situational or item songs that are composed in the current times and instead maintain a seamless flow. Set at a slow pace, they make you forget if the song picturisation is on Vidya Balan or any other star and primarily allow you to appreciate their authenticity and quality quotient.

Ultimately, 'Ishqiya' turns out to be a short and sweet album that has an eye on being a quality outing rather than commercial sales.

Of course the album is for the niche audiences and this is the reason why one doesn't sense much filmy appeal about it. However, given the fact that change is the need of the hour today in Bollywood, 'Ishqiya' being a kick start to year 2010 is not a bad bet after all.

Movie Preview: Fired

2010-01-15T03:21:00.000-08:00

Cast : Rahul Bose, Militza Radmilovic, Dinesh Lamba

Director : Sajit Warrier

Joy Mittal, the arrogant CEO of H.W.L.S, in a hardnosed decision to repair his scandal ridden work record and prove his ability to emerge as a pioneering leader in times of financial crisis, fires all the employees from his London office to cope with the global economic slowdown.

Amongst the sacked employees is Ruby Herminson, 29, an alluring, sophisticated, career-driven woman, with whom a married Joy is having a long affair.

Joy fires Ruby along with the rest of the people he considers expendable. After a trying day, Joy decides to finish off some paperwork before heading home, but soon realizes that the only possible means of leaving is the one he least bargained for.

Cornered in a deserted office, Joy soon realizes that there is a gruesome super-natural force in the building, which is hell- bent on extracting revenge for his ruthless actions.

FIRED is the shocking tale of a man who pays a steep price for his cold-blooded actions.

Movie Review: Dulha Mil Gaya

2010-01-15T03:19:00.000-08:00

Starring: Fardeen Khan, Sushmita Sen, Ishita Sharma, Mohit Chaddha, Tara Sharma and Shah Rukh Khan (Sp. App)

Director: Mudassar Aziz

Settled in Trinidad and Tobago, Tej Dhanraj a.k.a Donsai (Fardeen) is a rich playboy who lives to party hard and have fun with the most attractive girls minus in commitment.

His only good female friend is the hot shot super model Shimmer (Sushmita Sen). Donsai hopes of leading a fun life ahead as well comes crashing down when his late father’s will is declared by his lawyer Mr. Vakil (Vivek Vaswani).

A clause in the will makes it compulsory for Donsai to get married to his father’s friend’s daughter living in a Punjab village if he wants to inherit the huge riches of his father running into five billion dollars.

A reluctant Donsai only agrees for the same when Vakil suggests him a loophole. So, he marries the Punjab small town girl Samarpreet Singh (Ishita Sharma) in quick court marriage and comes back to Trinidad minus her. He stops any communication with her but dutifully keeps sending a fat cheque at every month end to her family.

Longing for him, the sweet and simple Samarpreet then decides to go to Trinidad herself. But on landing at his doorstep she is in for a cultural shock and is stunned to see Donsai having fun with other females. She is even insulted and thrown away from the house by Donsai’s bodyguards even before they both meet. Following her accident she lands up in Shimmer’s house.

The snooty, high society girl Shimmer at first detests her but after hearing her story she decides to help her. How Shimmer manages to help Samarpreet woo Donsai back by completely transforming her as a hottie Samara and how in the same course also learns a lesson or two about true love of her long time lover PRG (Shahrukh Khan) forms the rest of the plot.

With a plotline that offers nothing new apart from a unique location setting in the West Indies isles, the predictability of Dulha Mil Gaya puts you off to sleep long before it is over.

Shahrukh in a special appearance making a proper entry just post interval too cannot salvage the film. Just by taking off her glasses and appearing a bit mod, Samarpreet manages to hoodwink Donsai into believing she is someone else, just like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’s SRK’s (Suri’s character)!

While the first half breezes past quickly, the problems begin when the second half begins. After SRK’s entry your expectations rise but as soon come crashing down by some really juvenile sequences added. The whole cruise sequence is extremely tackily shot. The climax too is simply lame.

Lalit Pandit’s music works well when watched on screen. The entire track of lovers played by Tara Sharma and her DJ boyfriend Mohit Chaddha is a waste of time.

Fardeen puts in the efforts and delivers an okay performance. Sushmita Sen never looked so hot before. Her comic timing is very good. Newcomer Ishita Sharma last seen in a small cameo in Dil Dosti Etc. is extremely likeable.

Be it emotional sequences or comic ones, she gives it her all and leaves you mighty impressed. Tara Sharma looks good but still hasn’t got rid of her pathetic dialogue delivery. Mohit Chaddha is passable.

Vivek Vaswani is good but Johnny Lever is complete wasted in the role of Fardeen’s butler. Finally, SRK even his small part, gives a glimpse of his famous romantic lover charm. The superstar puts in his 100% in his half backed character.

Debutante director Mudassar Aziz’s Dulha Mil Gaya could have worked had it been released a decade back. But now it seems too outdated. It constantly keeps you giving a feeling of déjà vu with sequences appearing quite similar to films like Ponga Pandit, Namastey London and even Dil Bole Hadippa!

Give it a miss guys unless you are a hardcore Shahrukh Khan fan who doesn’t mind sitting through a 150 minute bore watch only to catch a few sequences of his. He though succeeds in holding your attention in an otherwise boring film.

Movie Review: Chance Pe Dance

2010-01-15T03:17:00.000-08:00

Star Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Genelia D’souza, Mohnish Bahl

Music Directors: Pritam, Adnan Sami, Sandeep Shirodkar, Ken Ghosh

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Ken Ghosh

If you want to be successful, you must either have a chance or take one. With a star like Shahid as a bosom pal, Ken Ghosh had it but with the film like this, Kapoor took one and the result is hardly pleasing.

Chance Pe Dance is a story of archetypal Dilli guy Sameer (Shahid Kapoor) who leaves his home town to become a star in Bollywood. He is confident to break into the top league because every aunty in town, including his mom, has been telling him that he's a bundle of talent with killer looks- the only two prerequisites to become a Hero.

But then Shah Rukh Khans are not made everyday. So, poor Sam has to do rather embarrassing things like lungi ads to eke out his existence at his ‘parsi-monious’ tenement.

Going into auditions after auditions he has mastered the skill of saying, “Hi, I'm Sameer Behl and my number is…” but life in Mumbai without a grand daddy is not easy and getting a break, virtually impossible.

His chances are stolen by others, his friends betray him and his landlord throws him out. He is rendered penniless stays in his car for days before he gets a job at a school and some emotional-cum-romantic support from a scooty-riding spirited choreographer Tina (Genelia D’souza).

After his initial I-hate-kids attitude, Sam finds his solace by making the teenage underdogs of school the dance champs of the city.

Eventually, he gets his biggest break as well but only to be matched by the biggest betrayal. Now he has no way but to enter the talent hunt like thousands of other contestants and emerge a winner to fulfill his dream... and our nightmare.

It is a film like Chance Pe Dance that separates a Ken Ghosh from a Farhan Akhtar and Ashutosh Gowariker who actually spend so much time (esp. Ashu :-)) penning the details and seldom leave anything to ‘chance’.

In times when flicks run on their taut and realistic storyline, Ken makes his Sameer Behl enter a talent show and eventually pronounces him a winner in an eight-pack flashing jig with virtually no competition whatsoever.

It is Ghosh’s decrepit script and predictable plot that make even Shahid’s otherwise sincere performance go down the drain. Shasha, however, as Sam the struggler tries hard to lend authenticity to his character and succeeds as well.

Genelia is as bright and breezy as ever but hardly displays her choreography skills. Alas, for her the film never picks up just like her scooty that perpetually runs on 30km/hr.

Despite being a musical, Pritam, Adnan Sami, Ken Ghosh and Sandeep Shirodkar’s work is a big let down.

The dance sequences are choreographed by Marty Kudelka, who has also directed moves of stars like Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and N'Sync. Our Shahid also does well on the dance floor in certain sequences but chance favours only the prepared minds and Ken Ghosh was certainly not prepared when he was making this film.

Avoid!

There's a 'serious problem' between Bipasha and John

2010-01-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

Delhi girl Bipasha Basu returned to her roots to bring in her birthday on January 7.

“This was my first birthday in Delhi. I’ve very special links with that city. I was born in Delhi. So when I got a chance to be in the Capital for my birthday I grabbed it. To make it even better it was seriously cold in Delhi. I love the winter weather.”

Bipasha’s soul-mate and hopefully her lifelong companion John Abraham accompanied her to Delhi.

“It was the Auto Expo and as you know John loves anything on wheels, but hates birthdays. So he was just happy being around some of the best cars in the world.”

The couple flew back to Mumbai in time for Bipasha’s family birtjday lunch. “It’s an annual ritual on my birthday, and one I won’t miss for the world.This time one of my sisters was not here for my birthday. She’s studying. We really missed her. But my parents and my other sister, brother-in-law and nephew was home for my birthday.”

John was not invited to thr family lunch.

As far as birthdays go there’s a serious problem between Bipasha and John.

While John hates birthdays and all the accompanying rituals, Bipasha loves every bit of the attention of her birthday. Hence while John went into hiding on his birthday last month (Decemeber 17) Bipasha basked in all the attention.

“John runs the other way when it comes to cutting cakes. I spent my whole birthday cutting cakes with different groups of family members and friends. I couldn’t take all the calls and smses. But I answered all of them on the day after my birthday.

When I returned from Delhi my house was filled with flowers. You’ve no idea how wonderful flowers look in a newly-renovated house. My home was fragrant and attractive. My two sweet maidservant had arranged all the bouquets all over the house.”

Bipasha is hoping for a productive year. “There isn’t much work happening. The scripts floating around are mostly mediocre. I can’t bring myself to do sub-standard work. Hopefully I’ll sign something exciting soon. But I’m certainly not sitting at home. I’m constantly on my toes doing one thing or another, too busy to twiddle my thumbs.”

Sucking Arshad's thumb was so sexy and raunchy: Vidya

2010-01-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

Vidya Balan who never touches alcohol has shot a special risqué number entitled Ibn batuta in Ishqiya with her co-stars Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi.

Says Vidya, “We shot the song last month after the entire shooting was completed. I don’t drink and I had to act sozzled along with Naseer Saab and Arshad.”

The track will be used in the opening and credit titles of Ishqiya.

Says Vidya, “Arshad is a fab dancer. And Naseer Saab was having a ball dancing to the song Vishal Bhardwaj had composed. I think the last time he danced was for Oye oye in Tridev. But you can’t tell. He’s so good. Both the guys were having so much fun, and I had to join in pretending to be totally drunk.”

The song came out so well that the director Abhishek Choubey was thinking of using it in the narrative. But since it didn’t fit in, Ibn batuta will now just be part of the credit titles.

That isn’t the only daredevil thing Vidya has done in Ishqiya. This has to qualify as one of the most sensuous things a mainstream Hindi-film heroine is seen doing in any movie.

In what Vidya Balan describes as the most blatant come-hither gesture she has ever seen any actress in Hindi cinema make, in Ishqiya she was required to take Arshad Warsi’s thumb in her mouth and suck on it suggestively.

Each time she did so in the rehearsals Vidya would burst into uncontrollable giggles.And Arshad would join in.

Recalls Vidya, “Fortunately Arshad is a friend. We’ve gotten along well from the time we did Lage Raho Munnabhai together. I don’t know I’d have been able to do a scene like putting my co-star’s finger in the mouth with someone else. That gesture of sucking Arshad’s thumb was so raunchy and sexy, so not me, I couldn’t connect with it all.”

That sense of non-connectivity, says Vidya, runs through her character in Ishqiya. “I play this rustic voluptuous woman. All my weight-loss happened after I did this film. I had to looked filled up for this part.

In Ishqiya everything from the way I wore my saree to the way I looked at men, was alien to me. The role exposed me to a new way of interpreting a liberated woman. My character in Ishqiya may not know about feminism. But she’s truly liberated.”

Vidya is now looking forward to the release of Ishqiya in January. “The director Abhishek Choubey had to constantly keep giving me a pep talk. Quite often I was stuck because of the language and content.

Sexiest babe Katrina does not want to upset her fans

2010-01-09T09:32:00.000-08:00

Bollywood’s most sought after star Katrina Kaif has much to celebrate– Katrina topped the ‘Most Popular Celebrities’ list and was featured second on the ‘Most Popular Mobile Queries in India’.She also had blockbuster films this year New York, De Dana Dan and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani.

Katrina was also voted the ‘Sexiest Actress’ by London Eastern Eye and featured second on the ‘Top Online Newsmaker of 2009’ list by Yahoo. With this sort of fan following Katrina has decided to pay close attention to the films she will hence forth do. Reveals an insider, “Katrina does not want to upset her fans. She will now only do films she believes in and roles that interest her.”

Katrina is also doing what she promised to do- is branch out into different sorts of roles and this year she will be seen in Rajniti where she plays an ordinary woman battling corruption who goes on to become the chief minister of the state.

“Katrina is also getting choosy with the stars she wants to work with, ”adds the source.

Well, Katrina Kaif seems to have lady luck on her side and with a string of great character driven movies and ‘A’ list actors and directors routing for her- there is no stopping this gorgeous diva.

Priyanka Chopra opens up on her relationship status

2010-01-07T04:18:00.000-08:00

Priyanka Chopra has never confessed her love in public. Though grapevine was abuzz with talks around Priyanka linked with Harman Baweja and later with Shahid Kapoor, all the parties always chose to remain quiet about it.

Even as tabloids and glossies are filled with stories around her personal life, Priyanka has kept her silence while working on her professional life shooting for 'What's Your Raashee?', 'Kaminey', 'Pyaar Impossible' and now 'Anjaana Anjaani'.

For someone who prefers her work to do all the talking than her alleged affairs, Priyanka (rightly) believes that enough is enough. Finally opening up, Priyanka has now declared loud and clear that she is not seeing anyone, is very much single and there would indeed be a day when she would have really something 'big' to talk about.

"Aur kya, mera bhi number aayega", laughs Priyanka without getting ruffled with constant queries coming her way for more than a year now, "I am waiting for the day when I have something to stat

I'm not getting married to Riteish Deshmukh: Genelia D'Souza

2010-01-07T04:09:00.000-08:00

Genelia D'Souza is upset with rumours of her wedding with actor Riteish Deshmukh. The actress says she isn't getting married to anyone for the time being.

"To set the record straight, I am not getting married to anyone. I have always maintained that my personal life is not something I would like to discuss. But this time since it was something that would affect my family, I decided to take a stand, " said Genelia in a statement released here Tuesday.

"My films and my brands are my priority as of now and I'd like to keep it that way. And if I do decide to settle down, you will hear it from me when as and when it happens, " she added.

A tabloid had reported the romance brewed between Genelia and Riteish on the sets of "Tujhe Meri Kasam" (2003) and that they are planning to get married this year.

"It's rather funny that we have to read about the progress in our lives in the press before we even know it ourselves. I wonder how news like that can be put out without any confirmation from the people whose lives are being discussed, " she said.

Genelia is right now looking forward to the release of "Chance Pe Dance". She is paired with Shahid Kapoor in the film, which is releasing Jan 15.

Priyanka desperate to get back with Akshay Kumar

2010-01-07T04:06:00.000-08:00

As the entire world is looking forward to the coming New Year, actress Priyanka Chopra looks back on the year 2009 and reminisces. The actress reveals that it has been a good year in terms of movies and awards for her.

“2009 has been good for me. I won 14 awards this year as the best actress for a film like Fashion. So it has been weighed heavily on me. They say female centric films don’t do well but Fashion proved something else. I give the entire credit to my Fashion director Madhur Bhandarkar”.

The actress also revels in the fact that she has done different genre films this year. “ It has been an important year. I have done films like What’s Your Raashee where I played twelve different roles. Then there was Kaminey which once again was a difficult film for me.

I could not identify with the roles I played because in Kaminey I play this lower middle class Maharashtrian girl and the upbringing she has. I couldn’t identify with the instrisinc earthiness because I am a modern girl, yet people liked me in the role.

I got critical acclaim. They have all been very difficult films for me and they were films which challenged me as an actress. It was nice to spruce up and gamble. I have done it with complete faith” she says.

Now Priyanka is looking forward to the New year with her forthcoming venture Pyar Impossible where she plays the beauty and Uday Chopra the Geek. “Then I have Sajid Nadiadwala’s Anjaana Anjaani and Vishal’s next film so I am looking forward to celebrating the new year too. I hope I win more awards.”

The news is also doing round that in 2010 Priyanka is planning to reunite with her ex-flame Akshay Kumar. We hear that she is sending feelers to Farah Khan to consider her for the role in upcoming Akki starrer ‘Tees Maar Khan’.

As per Akshay, the actor is much too pleased with the idea of sharing screen with Priyanka. Talking to reporters, the actor was recently quoted as saying, “I’d love to work with her... provided the right script comes along.”

I`m a disgrace to my maternal side

2010-01-07T04:00:00.000-08:00

Actress Soha Ali Khan might have inherited acting skills from her Bengali mother Sharmila Tagore, but she says she is "a disgrace" to her “maternal side” because she can't speak Bengali.

“I don't know Bengali... That ways I am a disgrace to my maternal side but I am working on it. I am learning it,” Soha told.

Sharmila, however, came to her daughter's rescue.

“She is good. The thing is she is very conscientious. She can't speak spontaneously but she does her homework and picks up the lines and then speaks them fluently," Sharmila said.

The mother-daughter actress' duo were in the capital on the first day of the first ever Pravasi Film Festival for the official screening of their first outing together “Life Moves On”.

Revolving around the cultural conflict between a father and his youngest daughter, with different sub-plots shown in flashback, it is a English-Bengali bi-lingual.

Directed by debutante Sangeeta Datta, it also stars Girish Karnad, Om Puri, Rez Kempton, Neerja Naik, Mukulika Banerjee, Christopher Hatherall, Stef Patten and Aria Gitanjali Banerjee Watts.

Asked if Soha's siblings - Saif and Saba - can converse in their mother's tongue, Sharmila said: “They cannot because it is not the language spoken at home.”

Soha, however, said: “I'm the best (at speaking Bengali amongst the three).”

Sonam buys an Audi with her own hard earned money

2010-01-07T03:56:00.000-08:00

Anil Kapoor declares himself a proud father of a daughter Sonam Kapoor as according to him Sonam has kept a tap of the traditions and is following them religiously.

Yes, Sonam stepped into the shoes of her father by purchasing a brand new Audi car whose 1988 model was purchased by papa Kapoor.

Our source informs, “Sonam had purchased a brand new Audi car and the novel thing is that the actress had invested her own hard earned money for her new car. Both father Anil and daughter Sonam was present at the launch in Delhi.”

Source goes on, “Anil Kapoor stated at the event that he was the first Bollywood actor in the industry to buy an Audi car in the year 1988 and it feels good that today my daughter is also buying an Audi and that too by her own earnings.

No one had ever seen this side of Salman Khan

2010-01-07T01:05:00.000-08:00

Salman Khan is not supposed to be a particularly hands-on technician on the sets of his movies. Most of the time you’d find him giving his shot and moving to a corner with his cronies.

But in Veer Salman not only got down from his high horse he even assisted the art director Sanjay Dabade (who had earlier done the art direction of Anil Sharma’s Gadar: Ek Prem Kahani) and the construction workers in setting up the props. temporary buildings and architecture in London to denote the 19th century period.

This happened on more than one occasion when the natural light in London threatened to fade away. While shooting in front of the Indiam embassy in London and after having acquired the permission to shoot in front of the Buckingham Palace the art directors’ team found itself running against time.

That’s when Salman jumped in.

Says producer VijayGalani, “Though Salman wouldn’t want it to be known in case other unit’s expect the same from him he actively assisted Sanjay Dabade in his men in the construction work in London.

See, first of all getting the permission to shoot on locations near Buckingham Palace was hard enough. Then we had to cover all the visible outward signs of modernity and replace them with props representing 1880. All this required a lot of planning and execution.

We had to be very careful not to put up any architecture or props that would damage London’s topography.”

This is where Salman came in.

Says Galani, “Salman just jumped in with the workers.Maybe it was a dormant passion. But no one had ever seen this side of him. He actually assisted in the construction work on the streets of London.”

Passersby who recognized him just couldn’t stop staring. “To see Salman banging on with wood planks nails and hammers is not an every day sight. But then Veer is not an everyday film for Salman.

He has written the story and he loves the subject and character. He grew his hair for one- half of the film. I won’t name them. But some actors refused roles because they had to sport beards in Veer, ” says Galani.

Priyanka Chopra wants to be Aamir Khan

2010-01-07T00:58:00.000-08:00

It seems Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra wants to be as perfectionist as fellow-actor Aamir Khan. As it is Piggy Chops is perhaps the most talented singers amongst our growing actor-singer community.

No show is complete without a request for a song from the sexy diva.

So when Karan Johar requested her to sing on popular television show ‘Lift Kara De’, she promptly sang without much ado- ‘Jhumka gira re Bareilly ke bazaar mein’- the famous Sadhana number from the film ‘Mera Saaya’. But after the shot was canned, she was unhappy with her attempt and wanted to dub it!

Karan nonchalantly said: “Now you want to be Aamir Khan? And like Aamir you will come before anybody else to dub for it too!”

The episode will be aired Friday and Saturday at 8pm on Sony Entertainment Television

Uday went out of the way to make me comfortable: Saidah Jules

2010-01-07T00:54:00.000-08:00

European beauty Saidah Jules who had created waves on the modeling circuit (commercial with Shahrukh Khan) is now all set to impress everyone with her acting abilities as well. She will debut with Uday Chopra and Priyanka Chopra in Pyaar Impossible.

Jules explains, “It was great fun doing this comic caper which is set in the US.”

She refused to talk much about her character saying, “Why don’t you check it out for yourself. All I will say is that I have some really hilarious scenes with Uday. Come to think of it some of the stunts that I have pulled in the film, I will never even dream of doing it in real life.”

Talking about her equation with her above co-stars, she says.” Uday went out of the way to make me comfortable. Priyanka is a very down earth and easy to work despite being such a big name in the Hindi film industry.”

The student of Anupam Kher acting school, this trained actress feels that she has done a good job in Pyaar Impossible. “My director Jugal Hansraj was satisfied with my performance. This was all the more tough for me as acting in India is a different ball game altogether, ” she smiles.

Unlike other western actresses, Saidah is quite comfortable with Indian culture. “I have spent some years of my early childhood in Delhi, ” says this girl of German and Italian parentage.

“I have been living in Mumbai for the last 4 years and am very much at home here, " she adds.

Besides Pyaar Impossible, Saidah is also awaiting the release of her next film, Right Ya Wrong with Isha Koppikar and Sunny Deol. “I have two more projects, but can’t talk about them right now, ” she exclaims.

She is working on her Hindi as well.

“I have practical working knowledge of the language, which is good enough for me. Luckily in India, most educated people speak English, so I don’t have much of a problem, " she smiles.

In closing, Saidah says, “She is very happy to have got a chance to work with the prestigious Yash Raj Films banner so early in her career. My upcoming films are also with big names”, she ends.

Break Ke Baad: Deepika teams up with Ranbir's archrival Imran

2010-01-07T00:53:00.000-08:00

Don’t read too much between the lines. But right after Deepika Padukone’s break with Ranbir Kapoor she’s doing film called Break Be Baad with Imran Khan.

That’s what Kunal Kohli has chosen to call his the first film that he’s producing and not directing.

Says Kunal, “Me and my director Danish Aslam always wanted to call his film Break Ke Baad because it’s about a couple Imran and Deepika who break up and want to come together. But since we didn’t have the rights to the title we didn’t want to announce it officially.”

Kunal and his team couldn’t locate the legal owners of the title anywhere in Mumbai. “We finally tracked it down to Bangalore to a 60-year old gentleman who deals in electrical goods. He owns a company called Seva Films.

He hopes to make films that would change the world. Break Be Baad is one of the titles he had registered. He loved our idea and gladly parted with the title.

Just like Break Ke Baad, while writing Hum Tum I wanted my film to be called only that. Milind Soman had that title. I called him for it and finally he sold it to us for 1.5 lakhs! I just had to have Hum Tum as my title, just as it was imperative to get Break Ke Baad. There could no other title. Fortunately there was no fuss this time.”

A token amount of money exchanged hands.

However getting permission to shoot in Delhi was far more difficult.

Says Kunal, “So many recent films have been shot in Delhi. Now the rules for shooting in the Capital have changed. I could write a thesis on what I’ve gone through to get permission to shoot in Delhi.”

Kunal’s problems as a producer don’t end there. He has been denied permission to shoot on the Gold Coast. “So we’ll have to shoot in Cape Town and fudge the Gold Coast.”

Break Ke Baad is set in Delhi and Australia.

Says Kunal, “This would be my first film as an independent producer. I did Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic which was a co- production. So many new directors are getting opportunities that we never had when we came in.”

Kunal is yet to finalize the cast for his own directorial venture. “But I’m so glad Danish has got a dream pair. Imran and Deepika together sounds good to everyone.”

Katrina fooled Salman to be with Ranbir Kapoor?

2009-12-31T01:10:00.001-08:00

Katrina Kaif, who is supposedly in London recovering after her surgery, was actually in New York for a bit to meet Ranbir Kapoor, who is shooting for Sajid Nadiadwala’s ‘Anjaana Anjaani’.

She is in London to celebrate New Year’s Eve with her family but looks like family is tangential when it comes to Ranbir.

A family member of Katrina’s let slip that she is in New York. And while Katrina has denied it saying that it’s a family joke that she is in New York because she is harassed by many calls, it is just too coincidental.

Recently, Katrina skipped boyfriend Salman Khan’s birthday and their relationship hasn’t been going great. Ranbir split with Deepika but neither of them has really let go. R

anbir and Katrina’s friendship blossomed on the sets of ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ and they even worked on ‘Rajneeti’ together.

Movie Preview: Pyaar Impossible

2009-12-31T01:05:00.000-08:00

Directed by: Jugal Hansraj

Produced by: Uday Chopra

In Ankert University, California, Alisha (Priyanka Chopra) is the name of that dream everyone wished came true. The most beautiful girl on campus, she makes hearts flutter like leaves in the wind. A snap of her fingers and a line of boys, waiting on her every whim. Everybody Loves Alisha!

It is no surprise then that Abhay (Uday Chopra) loves her too. More than his computer programs and MAC stores he thinks of Alisha. Who is Abhay? Abhay is a nerdy, awkward, socially challenged, bespectacled geek of the college who is so far removed from her world that she doesn't even know that people like him actually exist.

This is a love story of impossible proportions, how can a man like Abhay ever hope to be with a woman like Alisha, and therein lies the story...

Abhay has quietly loved Alisha all his life. One day he musters up enough courage to go and express his true feelings to her and realizes that it is never gonna happen.

He comes to terms with the fact that Alisha is a Princess and he is just a Geek. That is when their ways eventually part. Later, their paths cross again, as Abhay is busy trying to launch his career. Fate again brings him face to face with the woman of his dreams, Alisha.

Will Abhay have the strength to believe in himself and attempt to achieve what he never thought possible?

Will Alisha ever be able to see the man behind those glasses, beyond what her idea of the perfect man is? Is everything fate or can one take destiny in their own hands? Is this possible or just Pyaar Impossible?

Movie Review: 3 Idiots

2009-12-31T00:45:00.000-08:00

Cast: Aamir Khan, R Madhavan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, Boman Irani, Omi and others

Producer: Vidu Vinod Chopra

Director: Rajkumar Hirani

Coming out of Avatar or 2012, one really wonders if we’ll be able to watch something like this, ever in Bollywood. Or are we doomed to watch the same old boy-meets-girl skullduggery over and over again?

And exactly a week later, as you step out after your rendezvous with the ‘3 idiots’ you can’t help but think, what the heck… so what if we can’t blow up some planets or save the human race with our SFX, at least, we can blow some minds with our honesty and pristine performances.

Inspired from Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Five Point Someone’, ‘3 idiots’ is a heartwarming tale woven around three friends and the frailties which ail India’s education system. Farhan Qureshi (R. Madhavan) and Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi) get on a journey to find their long lost friend, Rancho or Rancchoddas Shyamaldas Chanchad (Aamir Khan).

Right from the first year at ICE, he was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher... or, as dean Viru Sahastrabudhhe aka ViruS (Boman Irani) would have it, an idiot.

He was the Patch Adams of one of the most prestigious Engineering College, a non-conformist; always in the pursuit of excellence and not success; defying rules; inventing the unthinkable and always listening to his heart's calling. Contrary to everything what Sahastrabuddhe preached at his premium institute.

ViruS’ model students looked more like Chatur (Omi), a geek, who could cram every possible tome on this planet and would do anything to kill the competition. So, you see the Idiots’ triumvirate having the run-ins with the princi, time and again and as if that wasn’t sufficient to invoke his wrath, Rancho falls for his daughter Pia (Kareena Kapoor).

Now, the dean is out to make Rancho's life miserable but much to his chagrin Rancho tops his class, year after year, even confounding his pals. You can’t help but laugh when Farhan narrates his experience as , “We learnt an important lesson, when your friend fails an examination, you feel bad. But when he tops it, you feel worse."

In their journey to find Rancho, they encounter a long forgotten bet, a wedding they crash, and a funeral that goes impossibly out of control. Despite some not-so-believable adventures of threesome, like helping a woman to deliver a child in the campus with the help of their ‘engineering skills', 3 Idiots is a laugh-riot that talks about the most important of human pursuits- the journey towards the self.

Like always, Raj Kumar Hirani, the master storyteller he is, never lets the plot get too preachy and retains the sense of humour intact for the full 2 hour and 50 minutes.

Aamir Khan, as always, excels as the wide-eyed rebel Rancho. Maddy looks and plays the confused Farhan with utmost ease and narrates the entire tale with aplomb. Sharman is good.

Kareena shines as well, as the spunky medical student in her relatively smaller role. Omi is great as Chatur and his Teacher’s day ‘balatkar' speech will leave you in splits. Lisping Boman Irani saves the character that had every possibility of going over the top.

Shantanu Moitra's music isn’t exactly rocking but blends with the story. The credit also goes to Abhijat Joshi, Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra for writing such brilliant screenplay, script and dialogues.

Much of 2009 has been a disaster for Bollywood but Hirani and Chopra ensure that ‘Aal Izz Well’ in the end. I bet there is going to be no dearth of ‘idiots’ queuing up in front of multiplexes to catch the glimpse of these three. So what are you waiting for? Go, grab your ticket and be the fourth one.

Movie Review: Raat Gayi Baat Gayi

2009-12-15T21:55:00.000-08:00

CAST: Neha Dhupia, Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Dalip Tahil, Iravati Harshe Mayadev, Anu Menon, Navneet Nishan and Ranvir Shorey

MUSIC: Ankur Tewari

WRITTEN BY: Rajat Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla

DIRECTED BY: Saurabh Shukla

3 couples, an 8-year-old marriage and a one-night-stand to end all others. Percept Picture Company and PNC presents a Rajat Kapoor production of the year’s most outrageously funny comedy that starts with a night of questions and ends up in bed with zero answers!

‘Raat Gayi Baat Gayi’ catches Rahul (Rajat Kapoor) waking up on a very heavily hung-over morning with his wife Mitali’s (Iravati Harshe) constant cribbing.

Whilst her voice crashes through his head he remembers snatches of a conversation he had the previous night, at a party, with a stunning young woman, Sophia (Neha Dhupia).

As he blinks through his thoughts he stumbles on the fact that one thing led to another and Sophia and he got drunk, talked a lot and finally ended up in bed making crazy love to each other-or did they? The end of the night remains hazy.

What’s worse is that Mitali just can’t seem to keep it together around him- she’s livid, she’s upset, she’s not telling him why- all rolled into one and Rahul keeps thinking back to the previous night and wondering if she caught a whiff of what happened the previous night with Sophia.

As Rahul chases his night for answers, his friends Saxena (Dalip Tahil) and Amit (Vinay Pathak) are suffering through their own marital crises! This one’s an outlandish comedy from the team of ‘Bheja Fry’ that promises no dull moments!

Movie Review: Rocket Singh - Salesman of the Year

2009-12-15T21:45:00.000-08:00

Star Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Gauhar Khan, Prem Chopra, Shazahn Padamsee, Mukesh Bhatt, D. Santosh, Naveen Kaushik and Manish Choudhari

Music Director: Salim Merchant, Sulaiman Merchant

Story / Dialogue /Lyrics: Jaideep Sahni

Producer: Aditya Chopra

Director: Shimit Amin

They say, ‘Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.’ And whoever they are, they're often right.

Like any other business, sales and service fundamentals are no rocket science. All it needs is honesty, dedication and integrity. But the blitzkrieg of cold calls and unsolicited offers on your phone everyday show that these virtues haves been mothballed for good. Poor Harpreet Singh Bedi (Ranbir Kapoor) who has ‘just’ passed his college hasn’t learnt these tricks of the trade yet.

His mark sheet is an embarrassment but that never stopped him from dreaming of an exciting and adventurous career in ‘AYS sales’. He is like an honest professional, who lived in every one of us before those unreasonable deadlines, targets and peer pressure got better of us. Soon, his idea of success begins to clash with the ‘professional’ ways of his colleagues, team leader and the boss.

But Harpreet who has inherited nothing but integrity and a modest scooter from his fuddy-duddy grandpa (Prem Chopra) refuses to give in to this chicanery. Instead he forms his very own, at your service 24x7 Rocket Sales Corp. that works from the AYS premises itself.

With his honesty pep talk he also poaches the ‘best’ AYS talent which includes, his sales shark team leader (Naveen Kaushik), perennial lech techie Giri (D. Santosh), hot customer relations manager Koena (Gauhar Khan) and an office boy Chhote Lal (Mukesh Bhatt) better known as ‘cup-plate’.

Together they restore the idea that business is not just about numbers but it’s about people and when people are happy numbers surge anyway.

As the orders start pouring in and sales sky-rocket, AYS begins to feel the heat. What follows is Harpreet’s conquest over the ideas which AYS boss (Manish Choudhari) considers mainstays of any sales business.

Rocket Singh works fantastically due to Jaideep Sahni’s crisp story and dialogues, Shimit Amin’s taut direction and Ranbir’s pristine performance as he plays the desi Jerry Maguire. As for women, it is Gauhar Khan and not Shazahn Padamsee who steals the limelight. Prem Chopra is delight to watch after a long, long time.

Salim-Sulaiman's music & background score is easy on the ears and never hinders the pace of the story. All in all there is no stopping this Rocket Singh and if you like some uncluttered entertainment you know where to board this flight.

Ranbir getting brawny to shed his boyish image

2009-12-15T21:38:00.000-08:00

Ranbir Kapoor has a new challenge to face. While most actors are shedding their muscular look for a leaner one, Ranbir Kapoor has to go manly and brawny for both Siddharth Anand’s ‘Anjaana Anjaana’ and Imtiaz Ali’s next.

So far, Ranbir has been seen playing boyish roles where his character has only just stepped into maturity.

This will be the first time he will be playing a grown-up kind of a role. In ‘Anjaana Anjaana’, he needs to match his appearance with that of his co-star Priyanka Chopra, so as to not look younger than her. In Imtiaz’s film too, Ranbir will play a manly role.

For his films, Ranbir is undergoing training at the gym to build his muscles. He has confirmed the news and added that a change is good.

Katrina Kaif redefines Sexiness

2009-12-15T21:16:00.000-08:00

Actress Katrina Kaif has retained the top spot in Eastern Eye’s annual list of the 50 Sexiest Asian Women in the world. The British Bollywood babe beats off tough competition from the likes of fellow actresses, former beauty queens, models and pop stars to hold on to the crown she won last year.

This rounds off another impressive year for Katrina that has seen her star in hit Bollywood films ‘New York’, ‘Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani’ and ‘De Dana Dan’ and being named the new face of Barbie in India.

In typically modest fashion, the softly spoken actress said, “One has to understand the definition of sexy, because it’s not as simple as the word sounds.

Sexy is not just about the physical equation but also about the fact that you would be comfortable with this person being your girlfriend at the same time. You would like to go out with them and at the same time they are desirable. And I think there is nothing more sexy than a confident woman.”

Actresses from India who took eight out of the top 10 spots once again dominated the popular countdown. ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ star Freida Pinto was the highest new entry at No 3 and ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ star Laila Rouass was once again the highest placed British celebrity at No 4. The top Pakistani celebrity was actress Mehwish Hayat, who came in at No 9.

An interesting mix of high-profile women, this year’s list had a number of new entries from around the world and proved that sexiness is not just about looks, but also about talent, personality, style and daring to be different.

Eastern Eye’s showbiz editor Asjad Nazir, who headed the jury putting the list together, said, “The fact that Katrina has climbed to the top of the Bollywood tree despite being an outsider speaks volumes for her global sex appeal and striking looks. She defied critics and beat off tough competition from Bollywood to stay No 1.”

I wear bikinis everyday: Shenaz Treasurywala

2009-11-30T23:56:00.000-08:00

VJ-turned-actress Shenaz Treasurywala, who plays a simple, sweet girl in forthcoming flick "Radio", says she has rejected quite a few roles requiring her to wear bikinis and do item numbers... not that she doesn't wear swimsuits in real life.

"I did reject quite a few offers that required me to wear a bikini and do item numbers. That is not where I want to go with my career. Also, there are lots of bikini and item girls out there. They are fabulous at what they do; I don't judge them at all. But then I don't want to join them or compete with them, " Shenaz told.

"I'll do what the role requires me to do. I am professional. As long as it's required and the film really needs it. It should not be there just to sell tickets but to tell a story. I am talented, I have a personality and this is my strength," the actress said, while maintaining that she isn't saying an outright no to donning a particular costume.

Even though she has acted only in a handful of films like "Ishq Vishk", "Hum Tum" and "Aagey Se Right", she feels that being an item girl is not really her goal.

"You get into exposing if all you have is a sexy body ; or may be if you are a magnificent dancer and being an item girl is your career goal. It's just not my thing or my talent, " she said.

"I am a good actor and I am a brilliant host. I write well too. I want to concentrate on these three interests and talents, " she added.

While Shenaz isn't keen on wearing skimpy clothes on screen, she isn't someone who shies away from wearing a bikini in real life. In fact, Shenaz prides herself in being the proud owner of a closet full of bikinis.

"I swim every day and swimming is my salvation. Nothing in the world makes me feel more relaxed. I am a complete water baby and wear a bikini in the pool every day. In fact I have a whole collection of bikinis. So, I'm not prudish or anything, " the actress said.

This is the reason why she believes in the saying 'never say never'.

"If the film takes place on a beach or a boat, if it makes sense story-wise and it's just not to entice the opposite sex or show off my body, then I'm cool. But it's not my focus or choice to market myself like that, " she reasoned.

Releasing next month, "Radio" also stars Himesh Reshammiya and Sonal Sehgal.

Terrorism has no religion: Shah Rukh

2009-11-30T23:49:00.000-08:00

"There is no religion of terrorism," said Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan here Sunday evening at a public event a year after the Mumbai terror attacks.

"Indian civilisation does not distinguish in terms of religion. We are an impossible achievement in the world and I'm very proud to be an Indian," he added, speaking at public event held at the sprawling lawns of the India Gate to show the nation's solidarity against terrorism.

"No one can have two viewpoints about terrorism. There is no religion of terrorism. I am often asked my viewpoint on this, maybe because I am a Muslim and I am very proud to be a Muslim," said Shah Rukh.

"But I have read the Quran, listened to the Gita, acted in Ram Leela... and learnt Christianity besides being a Muslim... My friends and I have worked on a film on Buddha ('Asoka') and my wife is a Punjabi," the super star stressed.

Shah Rukh joined a number of celebrities, eminent personalities from the worlds of arts and literature, and political leaders and school children to mark "A Nation In Solidarity Against Terror" event organised under the aegis of the ministry of home affairs (MHA).

Also present at the event were Home Minister P. Chidambaram, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, lyricist Javed Akhtar, journalist Shekhar Gupta, shooter Abhinav Bindra and tennis player Sania Mirza to name a few.

Singers Shreya Ghosal, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shankar Mahadevan and violinist Dr. L. Subramaniam also performed at the event.

With a message "Terror has no religion. Our solidarity, courage and resoluteness are the answer to the threat of terror", it was hosted by actress-activist Nandita Das and directed by one-film old Feroz Abbas Khan.

Produced and managed by Wizcraft International Entertainment, the event was held a year after the final day when the siege in Mumbai last year ended (Nov 29, 2008).

It was supported by organisations including ONGC, Airtel, SAIL, State Bank of India, Apollo Tyres, Mahindra, Amity University, Reliance Industries, Reliance ADAG, GAIL, Aircel and Jet Airways.

Kareena is wrong, I'm a joker and an idiot: Aamir

2009-11-30T23:47:00.000-08:00

At a recent press conference in Delhi, when a journo told Aamir that his 3 Idiots co-star Bebo called him the emperor of Bollywood he replied, “When did she say that? Waah yaar, bahut khushi hui sun kar. But, I’ll say I am not an emperor, in fact I am a joker and an idiot.”

Aamir Khan came along with R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi to promote their upcoming film ‘Three Idiots’ which is based on Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Five Point Someone.’

The actor is also back on his strict diet consisting of salads and fruits. He confessed that since shooting wrapped up a month ago, he has piled up eight kilos.

“So now I’m back on a strict diet and exercise regime,” says the actor.

Of course, Aamir’s diet, like everything else that he does, is truly interesting. He eats every hour religiously because it keeps his metabolic rate high. He also plays badminton at a local gymkhana, say sources.

I won't recommend 6-packs to anyone: Shahid

2009-11-30T23:46:00.000-08:00

Finally someone has confessed it. Shahid Kapoor who acquired his six-pack for his Kaminey says that he won’t recommend other guys to try and maintain a six-pack or a eight-pack all through the year... because it is tough.

"However, building the eight-pack was a challenge he loved. I’m inherently drawn to fitness. For me working out is a lifestyle. When Vishal Bharadwaj suggested that I get a tough look for Kaminey and Ken Ghosh said I should try and get eight-pack abs for a song in Chance Pe Dance, I had a goal to work towards. Of course, Kaminey is different from Chance Pe Dance so I have a different body-type is both films,’’ he tells.

Shasha who is a pure veggie, took a low sugar diet with brown rice and oats and had six meals at the interval of two-and-a-half hours on a regular basis. The actor further said, “I also worked out extensively, despite gruelling shooting schedules, even it meant hitting the gym at 2 am, ”

“Maintaining a six-pack is tough. Instead, follow a regular fitness regime and make sure you stay in shape, rather than aim for a six-pack. The sacrifices required to make a body like the one I have in ‘Chance Pe Dance’ are immense. I would rather eat healthy and stay fit than try to flaunt a dream body all the time, ” added Shahid.

Kareena offered 10 crore to be part of Golmaal 3

2009-11-30T23:44:00.000-08:00

Move over Ash, Bebo is on her way to become the highest paid actress in the bollywood. We hear that the actress has been offered a staggering Rs 10 crore to star in the third installment of the ‘Golmaal’ series.

Director Rohit Shetty, who isplanning to launch Golmaal-3 on April 1, 2010, says, "I will release the film by Diwali. As for the leading lady, I want to sign Kareena Kapoor. When she returns from Sydney I’ll meet her.”

Though Kareena and Rohit remained unavailable for comment, a source said, "Post Jab We Met, Kareena's success graph has risen even more. She was apparently paid Rs2.5 crore for Kambakkht Ishq and little more for Golmaal 2. Rohit's film went on to become a hit and the director wants to repeat the cast for his next that will take the story forward. Till now, Kareena has never been a part of any sequel. So to make her sign this film Rohit has offered Rs10 crore."

He continues, ‘Even as far as endorsements are concerned, Kareena rules. She is probably the only actress who has refused a certain brand as she thought she was too young to endorse it. Moreover, she was paid 7 crore for a snack brand. She connects with the masses and they love her. Young girls aspire to be like her. She also propagates Yoga and eating right.’

According to sources, both Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif charge between 3 and 5 crore for their films. Aishwarya charges 5 crore.

Music Reviews: 3 Idiots

2009-11-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

EXPECTATIONS

The moment name Aamir Khan is seen in the credits, the word 'quality' comes naturally. Such has been the brand value Aamir has made around him that everything else, whether it is the director, composer or the co-star, comes secondary. Of course with names like Rajkumar Hirani, Kareena Kapoor and Vidhu Vinod Chopra involved, one can't discount the overall package affair that 3 Idiots turns out to be. Still, when it comes to the music of the film, one can't really claim to have huge expectations. Reason being that the composer at the helm of affairs is Shantanu Moitra who hasn't had a single commercially successful album other than Parineeta. Yes, he has been critically acclaimed but due to the kind of music he has created and the genre he has explored, mass acceptance has still eluded him. Even a Lage Raho Munnabhai showed some good sales once the movie turned out to be hugely successful at the box office. This is the reason why one plays 3 Idiots (that has lyrics by Swanand Kirkire) with reasonable, rather than extraordinary, expectations in place - Aamir Khan notwithstanding.

MUSIC

It's a gradual beginning to 'Aal Izz Well' that gives a clear indication of what the film is all about. Arriving with the theme of 'care-a-damn' attitude, 'Aal Izz Well' is completely different from dozens of campus tracks that have been heard over the years. Swanand Kirkire's lyrics make an instant impression while Shantanu's rhythmic treatment ensures that the song would be played in many a campus festivals and student get togethers from here on. Catching the pulse of youth, whether from today, yesterday or tomorrow, this Sonu Nigam and Shaan sung track, which also appears in a deserving 'remix version', belongs to chartbuster variety. One wonders though that why did Shanatanu have to croon like Anu Malik for an interspersing piece?

Only song in the album featuring a female voice comes in the form of 'Zoobi Doobi'. The chosen one here is the obvious name without whom not a single A-list album gets completed today - Shreya Ghoshal. A song-n-dance affair that almost spoofs the conventional rain tracks that have been heard and seen in Bollywood over the decades, 'Zoobi Doobi' combines melody with rhythm with Sonu Nigam joining the show. Belonging to the 50s and 60s variety in the way it has been composed, 'Zoobi Doobi' (which too has a 'remix version' for itself) is good though its longevity would depend upon the way it has been choreographed and the extent to which the film succeeds.

From this point on, the album takes a situational turn, as visible in 'Behti Hawa Sa Tha Woh' which comes next. Starting on a pensive note, the number is about a couple of friends (Madhavan and Sharman Joshi) who are searching for their lost partner (Aamir Khan). The number has a distinct Bengali music touch to it, whether in terms of the way it has been orchestrated, arranged and even sung. With minimal instruments in the background, this number sung by Shaan and Shantanu Moitra describes the character played by Aamir and how he carried a carefree and lively persona. With a hint of sadness to it, 'Behti Hawa' is primarily for the screen.

Just like it's predecessor, 'Give Me Some Sunshine' too has a slow beginning with Sharman Joshi narrating a line about youth being allowed to live life the way they want. Soon after Suraj Jagan starts singing this track about how kids are deprived of their innocence in the world of education that dictates what they should be doing rather than them making a choice. Meanwhile, Sharman keeps interspersing the song with anecdotes from the childhood (experimenting with chemistry, forced to get 99% marks etc...). Yet another campus track, though softer in mode and tone this time around, the song has its high point every time the line 'Give Me Some Sunshine' comes on the forefront.

The finale is interesting with Sonu Nigam coming up with one of his best renditions in recent times. He changes the pitch of his voice extraordinarily well in 'Jaane Nahin Denge Tujhe' which again appears to be the set in a mood where the friends are rooting for each other and making sure that they don't fail in their pursuit for a better life ahead. After singing two popular tracks 'Shukran Allah' [Kurbaan] and 'Don't Say Alvida' [Main Aurr Mrs Khanna], this is yet another quality outing for Sonu Nigam who hits just the right notes. Special mention to Swanand for his words that should make a definite impact in the film's narrative.

OVERALL

3 Idiots is a good quality album that has two super strong tracks - 'Aal Izz Well' and 'Jaane Nahin Denge Tujhe'. Both are poles apart though because while former is for mass audiences, latter should find a perfect placement in the film's narrative. 'Zoobi Doobi' is nice while 'Behti Hawa' and 'Give Me Some Sunshine' would be known more after the film's release. Immense curiosity value around '3 Idiots' would ensure that in the initial days, the album disappears quite quickly from the music stands. After that, it would be the strength of the film and its run at the box office that would do the talking for the album as well.

I do not know if I am still going strong, but yes I am alive: Amitabh Bachchan

2009-11-20T21:31:00.000-08:00

Amitabh Bachchan speaks to Subhash K Jha

You recorded with the legendary Ilaiyaaraja recently?
Yes I was in his divine presence for just a few moments.

Another birthday recently went by….
Yes it was just another day another year. I am grateful and feel blessed that it means something special for those around me. The Almighty and the prayers of my loved ones and those of the millions that have supported me are to be thanked. It is because of them that I breathe and exist.

67 and still going super-strong... Would you say that's a good signature tune for you?
I do not know if I am still going strong, but yes I am alive and I exist. I have never wished for any signature or tune or any fancy recognition or accolade.

I am grateful for the jobs that I get and am thankful that I am given opportunity for work.

How do you assess the year that has zipped by? To me looking at it from the outside it seems as power-packed and activity-ridden as all your other years.
I really have no recollection of what went by. I know what I am doing now. Age does have this adverse effect on one and I am no different from any other. It may seem power packed for you but for me it is just another day, another job. I endeavour to do what is assigned to me to the best of my ability.

What according to you, were the most significant occurences in your life this year?
That I am still alive !

Significantly you took two months off to be with your friend Amar Singhji in Singapore. How rejuvenating and introspective did that time-off prove to be?
Yes I was with Amar Singh ji during the time he was in Singapore under treatment. I was aware that he would be going for treatment and I was aware about the amount of time he would require to recover, so I had planned all my work in a manner where I could be free to be by his side.

I finished all my pending work by June and did not take up any assignments after. When his condition had improved I accepted the COLORS offer for BB3. I was in Singapore not to rejuvenate or to introspect, I was there for a friend, a member of my family while he recouped.

My time there was spent being with him and monitoring his progress.

You seem to be taking time off from your movie assignments at the moment. What are your plans regarding more offers? Is it true you've decided to do only one film a year?
Because I was uncertain of how long Amar Singh ji would take to recover I did not accept any offers for film. I did not want to commit on a project the timings of which I may not have been able to adhere to. Yes, I do wish to do films and yes there are interesting offers, which I shall consider. And no it shall not be one film a year. I am not that big or important to make such decisions. It is a wonder that I am getting any offers at all.

You are back on television after creating history in KBC. How does the home medium and this new experience with Bigg Boss feel?
The experience of Bigg Boss 3 has just begun. I have been with it for too short a time to be able to completely describe its experience. But yes it is different from KBC and it gets more intricate as we move along.

All I can say for the moment is that it has been a hugely exciting revelation for me. The medium and those that are attached to it, work diligently round the clock and it is a marvel to see the amount of thinking and labour that goes on behind the scenes to create something like Bigg Boss.

I am most impressed with that. The co ordination and the management need all the praise there is for their unfailing effort and commitment. I am merely a tool that follows instructions, but what goes on beyond me is what needs to be recognised and appreciated.

How comfortable are you interacting with the Bigg Boss housemates?
It is good. You would need to ask the channel or the house mates what they felt. I just feel very saddened when I have to announce the person who has been voted out by public and in house processes and then later to spend time with them after their eviction. Its much like what I used to feel when on KBC I had to inform the participant that his answer was wrong.

You've another release Pa lined up. Would you say Paa and the earlier Aladin are challenging roles?
Yes both have been very challenging. Both have been very demanding physically. At my age it gets tough.

Paa offered you a unique chance to play a child. Did you relive your childhood through this part?
Not so much my childhood, but the childhood of my children and my grandchildren. A lot of my interpretation has been picked up from what I remember of Abhishek when he was that age and from my grandchildren now as I see them grow.

Your thoughts on self and the world around?
I wish, much like all else for there to be peace and harmony. For humans to understand that we are all one and that we all have common characteristics. To understand that all faiths need to be respected, for none of them are different in their beliefs.

That we are one nation, united by our independence and our sovereignty. That this world we live in belongs to all of us and we need to protect it for its survival. That a kind word and a smile never did harm anyone. That a fragrant flower decorates our lives more than the vicious odour of hate.

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